Possession
by Kagehime3
Summary: A series of one-shots highlighting the sometimes sweet, oftentimes dysfunctional, relationship between two fiery, hot-tempered red-heads. Nothing ever goes easy when two people fight like cats and dogs. AU. Rated for language and adult content. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**And look who's finally found the motivation to start the KidNa she's always wanted to write! This will basically be interconnected AU one-shots, and centering on a pretty unhealthy relationship (there are some healthy bits, but for the most part, these two will have a very rough go of things). Anyway, without further ado... please enjoy. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.**

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_Into the Wolf Den_

She was eighteen. Young. Bright. Talented. Maybe a _little_ drunk…

There could be no other reason behind why she was eyeing up the outrageously large crimson haired man across the bar. Her friends were hours into their night out. Lively partying in their corner of Shakky's, but she was sitting there with her calculating eye, picking up every little nuance of his body, his movements, his temper, and most of all the likelihood his wallet would be worth the risk.

His watch was expensive, tungsten and gold plating. There was a gold ring on the pinkie of his right hand, heavy but simple with no stone to distract from the metal. He had a simple black chain around his neck, more fitting to his appearance than the more expensive pieces. She guessed the watch and ring were stolen. That didn't deter her in the least.

His shirt was black, the top few buttons open to expose his heavily muscled chest, sleeves rolled up to show off his strong forearms. That was the only thing that gave her pause. Was he aggressive enough to hurt her, or would he settle on scaring her off if she got caught?

He wore a dark brown vest over his shirt, completely open, more in line with the thrown together look, but she recognized an expensive brand when she saw it, and her hesitance lifted with her renewed greed.

Her appraisal stopped at his black cargo pants. They had seen better days, as had the combat boots he wore, but that wasn't what made her internally curse. _Damn wallet chain._

At least she knew exactly where his wallet was- back right pocket- but unclipping it would take a little more grace and he seemed the observant type, no matter how short tempered he was. She'd have to adjust her tactics if she was going to pull this off.

Sitting up straight, she began to unbutton her cream colored top, just a peek of cleavage and, at the right angle, a _hint_ of her red lace bra.

"What are you doing?" Zoro asked beside her, a brow quirked as he tilted his head to watch her. Robin sat on the other side of the booth, chuckling quietly as she glanced to the man Nami had been eyeing.

"I believe she's looking to pay our tab."

Nami ignored them both as she pulled the black clip from her hair, letting it fall to her shoulders before she gave it a small tussle. Wild, a little unkempt, and surely a seductive sight for the man across the bar. Zoro groaned in annoyance when she took another shot (his last one), adding to the pink on her cheeks. A few nibbles of her lower lip, making it puffy and red, and she felt just about ready.

She slid from the booth carefully, smoothing out her flowing, blue mini skirt, and checking that she had her bearings in her creamy pumps. Yes, she had this.

With one last flip of her hair, she ambled toward the bar, to the side nearest the billiards table the man and his friends had claimed as their space for the night. Shakky eyed her knowingly from behind the bar, lips in a faint smirk as she watched the cat thief on the prowl. She never said a word. She knew the life well.

"Rum and coke?" The bartender asked. She knew Nami tended toward vodka in mixed drinks, rum and whiskey she drank straight, but she wasn't asking for the girl's order. It seemed that was what her target preferred that night.

"Please," she smiled, leaning over the bar, chin resting in a palm, while she swayed her hips from side to side. A glance back and she smirked at the gaze that was firmly on her now. "Make that two, Shakky."

She sent a cute little wave in his direction, flirty and beckoning, and he didn't need a second thought before picking himself up from the barstool he sat at, setting aside his cue and heading her way.

"Be careful with this one, Nami-chan," Shakky whispered in warning as she placed the two drinks in front of her.

Nami gave a short nod, but her eyes were glued to the cocky smirk pulling up the corner of his mouth the closer he got. She watched as his eyes raked over her, settling on her legs as she playfully lifted one from the floor for a second before turning to lean her side against the bar once he reached her.

"Saw ya lookin' my way, girlie," he continued to grin, his eyes taking a quick look at the cleavage she so carefully exposed before finally meeting her gaze.

"I might have been," she answered teasingly, purposefully nibbling at her lip after. "You stand out in this place, hard not to notice a man like you."

"I guess not," he chuckled as he propped his side against the bar, leaning in closer to her, filling her senses with his presence.

That wariness was coming back, her instincts telling her that this was a horrible target to pick, but she stuffed down the anxiety with a sip of her new drink to maintain her easy going, flirtatious air. He was even bigger up close, easily towering over her by a foot. His spiky red hair only adding to the effect, even tied back with the black bandana around his forehead. And if she thought he was well built with muscle from a distance, she could clearly see just how large his frame was now; strong, too.

"Want a drink?" She asked, pointing to the extra glass with an innocent smile. "I don't know if you like rum and coke, but it's yours if you want it."

"Hm, what a coincidence," he said, and for a moment she felt panic overtake her as he frowned, studying the glass. "I've been drinking this all night."

"You caught me," she made herself look sheepish, a blush blooming over her cheeks as she looked away with a cute little pout. It came with practiced ease, turning his mind away from whatever suspicions he might have and back on the cute woman trying to flirt with him. "I asked Shakky what you were drinking."

She twirled a finger in her hair as she glanced back over to him, relieved to see him smirking again, his hand picking up the drink to take a sip for himself.

"Subtlety isn't your strong suit, is it?" He teased.

Good, his guard was slowly slipping the more coy and naïve she played.

"I guess not," she huffed, acting defeated. "I never was good at this whole flirting thing."

"I don't know about that. I'd say you're doing a great job right now. You've definitely captured my attention." She had to force down the fleeting sensation of victory when he came closer, within her reach.

"I think you're just flattering me since I bought you a drink," she gave a little wink, stuck out her tongue playfully, and closed what little gap was left between them as she reached out to brush her hand over his forearm. "But I'll take it."

He chuckled again and she was close enough to feel the muscles of his abdomen ripple as he shifted against the counter, laying his arm out alongside her so his fingers could graze over shoulder, returning the flirtatious gesture, and once more giving her the courage to keep going. She saw his gaze flit up toward the corner her friends were at, and she glanced back to make sure they weren't about to give her away.

Robin had Sanji distracted, thankfully. Zoro was drinking another beer, seemingly oblivious, but she knew his attention was focused on her, ready to jump in if things went awry. Franky was comfortable next to Robin, an arm wrapped around her, sipping at a soda. He was their designated driver, and she could see him glance her way, too, just as watchful of her as he would be the rest of their strange family of friends. And then there was Luffy and Usopp being as silly and rambunctious as ever, sitting on the back of the booth doing impressions of all their friends.

"Your friends?" He asked, and she hummed affirmatively as she looked back to him. "Surprised a girl like you isn't already taken up by one of them."

"Nope, they're just friends, none of them are my type." She shrugged and watched as he looked back down at her, a hairless brow cocked.

"And what is your type?" He seemed to know the answer, at least he figured he should as his hand rubbed over her shoulder a little more and his lips pulled up in a hidden smirk as he tilted his glass to them.

"Well I think it would be obvious," she teased, her hand falling from his arm when he raised his drink, but immediately found its way to his abs, his gaze darting from her eyes down to her hand, curious and maybe a little guarded. She paused to nibble on her lip again, drawing his attention back to her face as her fingers deftly traced over to his waist, finding his hip bone through his shirt and dragging her thumb over it. He grunted into his drink at the touch, and the hand on her shoulder tightened. "I like my men strong, and _big_," she made a point of letting her eyes drink in his frame, not so subtly lingering at his hips and groin before looking back up at him coyly. "They never disappoint where it counts."

It was actually amusing to see him lose his composure for a fleeting second at the bold implication she just made. His eyes widened, and he coughed on his liquor, a short curse muttered under his breath as he stared down at her. She was starting to think up an escape strategy now that her hand had found its way to his hip and was just barely grazing over the chain attached to his wallet, ready to snatch it while he was so flustered, but before she could, they were distracted by someone shouting.

"Oi! Kid!" One of the men from his group hollered, drawing his attention back and forcing Nami's hand to retreat as she peeked around him. It looked like his friend with long blond hair was waving at him. She couldn't see his eyes, his bangs obscuring them, but she felt as if he was watching her. What if he noticed?

"What do you want, Killer!? Can't you see I'm busy?" The man she now knew was named Kid shouted back.

"It's been your shot for the last five minutes! Get back over here or you forfeit!" Killer threatened, and Nami frowned darkly as Kid pulled away from her then.

"Fuckin' hold your horses! I'm comin'!" He hollered, moving to point at another one of his friends, tall and lanky with a long black jacket, a hood pulled up over his head. "Wire! You better not have cheated while I wasn't looking!"

The man just held up his hands, shaking his head, but there was a tiny smirk there. They were joking around, despite the aggressive posturing in their tones.

"Well I guess I should let you get back to your friends," Nami sighed, pulling away and turning to grab her drink.

"Huh?" He glanced back at her, brow cocked again. "Fuck that, you're coming to hang out with me."

"Wha?" She didn't even have a moment to process what he said before she found his arm wrapped around her shoulder, tugging her in the direction of his friends.

"Shakky! Another round over here!" He hollered back at the bartender, Nami glancing back with a slightly uneasy look to see the older woman's amused smirk, though her eyes looked a little wary of the situation the cat thief had gotten herself into. She had been warned, though. "Oi, girlie, what's your name?"

She looked back up at him, her voice failing her for a split second, causing him to glare impatiently until she spoke up again. "Nami."

_Shit_, she should have given him an alias. Too late now. Shouldn't make much of a difference.

"Nami," he nodded as they got back to his area. He stopped and pointed out each of his friends in turn. "I'm Kid, by the way, and these lowlifes are Killer, Heat, and Wire. Guys, this is Nami. Play nice with the girl, got it."

She blinked, a tad overwhelmed as his arm left her and he nudged her over to his seat. She felt like she was being thrown into a pack of wolves, but felt mildly comforted when she remembered her friends were still across the room, watching her, and Shakky wasn't ignoring her, either. As the older woman brought a tray full of drinks over, Nami smiled and took the seat Kid offered for her, settling in to watch them play their game.

Maybe with a few more drinks in them, it'll be easier to lift that wallet.

An hour had passed and Kid had made himself very comfortable with her presence. She had even relaxed enough to laugh and joke with his friends, the man known as Killer, while intimidating at first, was actually the most level-headed of the bunch, and she easily clicked with him. She almost forgot what she was there for, but as Kid stood at her side, his arm wrapped around her shoulder as he whispered some joke about one of his friends in her ear, she realized she might have found her chance to lift his wallet and get away before he noticed.

At this point in time, she didn't even care about the money, it had become a challenge she just had to overcome.

She had wound her arms around his waist, ignoring the fleeting commentary in her mind about how comfortable it felt, while the hand at his back was hooked in the waist of his pants, the gesture only encouraging him to pull closer as he spoke to her. She wasn't even listening to what he was saying, something Killer did once when they were drinking that was horribly embarrassing, but she giggled all the same as her fingers tentatively brushed over his pocket.

"I'm almost ready to get out of here if you are," he groaned lowly in her ear suddenly and she stiffened in his hold when his lips brushed over the shell, his breath fanning over her neck, sending a shiver down her spine before he boldly nipped at her ear. "What do you say, Nami?"

"I say that sounds like exactly what I want to do," she purred, her other hand giving a small pinch to his waist to distract him as she slipped his wallet free. "Just give me a second to run to the ladies' room, then I'm all yours for the night, Kid."

"Don't take too long," he groaned, and with one last nip at her ear, he pulled away.

She immediately jumped from the chair, careful to hide her prize before he spotted it, and walked off to the hallway with the restrooms after sending him one last, little wave. As she turned the corner, she smirked at the hooting and hollering coming from his friends as they teased him about actually getting laid that night. Too bad for him, the back door was right by the restroom, giving her an easy escape once she managed to pillage his wallet.

In hindsight, she should have just skipped the stop at the bathroom and ran out before he noticed.

"Oi, where do you think you're going?" His low voice drawled out as she walked out of the restroom and turned for the back door. She froze as his hand wrapped around her wrist and tugged her back. "Don't think you're escaping me that easily…" She gulped as he trailed off with another sharp jerk of the hand, forcing her to fall back against his chest so he could growl in her ear. "_Cat thief_."

_Shit_, she cursed in her head and tilted her face up to look at him standing behind her. She tried to look as innocent as she could in the face of his threatening glare, his eyes dark and the hold on her wrist only tightening in response.

"I just wanted a breath of fresh air," she pouted before she took on a look of insult, acting as though her pride had been attacked. "And who do you think you're calling a thief!? I would never-"

"Cut the crap, Kitten," he growled and twisted her around so her back slammed against the wall. She winced despite herself, cringing away when he leveled his face right in front of her. Her free hand went to push at his shoulder, but he wasn't budging, not an inch, and he quickly grabbed it, pushing it beside her head to pin her completely. "Where's my wallet?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kid," she said flatly, trying to ignore the new nickname he came up with for her. She dropped the innocent act now, taking on hurt and anger at his seemingly false accusations.

"You have some damn guts to lie to my face, woman. I knew there was something fishy about you. No way a brood like you'd be trying to make the moves on me so easily. Now suddenly my wallet's gone, and if I hadn't noticed when I did, my girl would have been, too; right out the door with my money." His smirk was condescending as he pushed here harder against the wall.

Her eyes hardened into a fiery glare. Not only was she caught, but he was calling her _his girl_, no way would she ever be looked at like a piece of property that belonged to him just as much as his money. She'd had enough of that in her life already.

She twisted her arms in his hold, putting up more of a fight as she angled her legs without him noticing. A swift kick in the balls oughta call him off.

Too bad he noticed.

Just as she was about to swing her leg out, he shifted to the side, lifted his thigh and slammed it against her hip, effectively blocking her kick and preventing her from trying again. His other leg nudged at her still free leg, pushing it to the side, out of reach of his testes.

She couldn't help the fleeting thought that if anyone caught them in that position, it'd look quite scandalous. Kid seemed to have the same thought as his smirk grew and he rolled his hips against her, drawing a gasp from her throat before she shot another glare at him. Like hell she'd let him get away with that.

She struggled vainly in his grasp again, growling under her breath as she fought his tight grip. She didn't stop until his lips were at her ear, an annoyed growl of his own fanning his breath over her skin, and she could hear the familiar sounds of a pleasured groan in the note.

"You'd be wise to stop that, Kitten, or you're going to get yourself into even more trouble," he warned lowly with another roll of his hips against her, bringing her attention to exactly what kind of trouble she was in if she tested him further.

Apparently he liked it _rough_.

"Fine," she bit out as she stilled completely. "I'll give you back your wallet. Just let me go and we can forget this ever happened."

"I don't think I'll ever be able to forget a pretty little thing like you, kitten. You made one hell of a first impression," he chuckled, but his hold loosened and he stepped away, just enough to give her air, but not enough for her to consider escape. "But I'll forgive the transgression, at least."

"Whatever," she huffed, looking away, and jerked one of her hands to signal he release it. He let it go after a short look of warning, then watched carefully as she reached into her shirt and bra for his wallet. He quirked his brow again, that smirk turning playful like it had been earlier, and she could see that spark of lust still present in his eye as she glanced his way. "Here," she said as she held out his wallet, distracting him from her cleavage so he would take his property back. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Not so fast," he grunted and slammed his side against the wall, blocking her path back to her friends as his hands inspected his wallet. She rolled her eyes as he opened it, counting out the bills and checking to make sure his credit cards and identification were still in there. She sighed when he sent her another glare and she pointedly reached back into her bra for the other three hundred she had pulled out, slapping into his awaiting hand. "Good girl."

"Don't patronize me," she growled, "and let me go."

"Isn't that cute," he chuckled as he pushed off the wall, nudging his head back to the bar signaling she can go. "Who would have thought that catching a cat thief red-handed would turn her into such a cold _bitch_?"

She sneered as she passed by, not deigning his insult worth her time.

He followed after her, and as she passed by his friends, she glanced over to them coldly, noting the amused looks on their faces as they watched her walk away defeated.

"Too bad you won't get her warming your bed tonight, Boss," she heard Wire joke, pulling a loud laugh from the leader of their group.

"Frigid bitch like her can't warm shit," he said loud enough for her to hear. "Better off without her, plus my wallet's safer this way. But hey, Kitten!" He called out to her one last time, prompting her to turn and glare as her friends began to stand, ready to defend her in case something happened. "Next time I see ya, if you change your mind and warm back up, I'm more than willing to show you I _won't_ disappoint."

"Shitty bastard! How dare you talk to Nami-swan like that!" Sanji jumped forward first.

"Oh? You wanna fight, blondie?" Kid growled, and as he stepped forward, pushing away his vest, Nami spotted the gun holstered against his chest beneath. How the hell did she miss that before?

"Sanji-kun," she said firmly, putting a hand on his shoulder to get him to back down. "He's not worth it. Let's just get out of here."

"But, Na-"

"No, let's go." She repeated, looking at her friends' unhappy looks as they glanced between her and the grinning Kid.

Shakky stood back at the bar, watching how things would play out. Nami knew she was prepared if a fight broke out, but she'd rather save her the trouble.

She sent one last glare Kid's way, his grin only widening in answer as he backed down, and she shoved her friends toward the door.

"Shakky-chan, just put it on my usual tab. I'll swing by to pay it off when this place isn't crawling with assholes." She bit out the last part, prompting Kid to bark with laughter again as he turned back to his friends.

"Alright, Nami-chan. Sorry you didn't succeed tonight." The bartender waved her off.

Nami sulked the whole way home after that, completely tuning out Zoro's attempts at lecturing her for doing something so stupidly risky, and further ignoring Sanji's whining about how she shouldn't have put herself in danger.

She had never felt more thankful to be leaving for college at the end of the weekend. She might never have to see that thug again.

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**So how's that for a start? As I said, these will basically be interconnected one-shots. Don't expected too frequent of updates as I focus on my LawNa fics, but I might have the next chapter out sooner rather than later (just because I need a little break from my usual routine and KidNa is supplying that).**

**Anyway, reviews are definitely welcomed with my first real foray into this pairing. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter got away from me because they kept bickering randomly, damn it, but enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.**

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_A Bad Influence_

It was still early when she made her way to the bar. She hadn't seen Shakky in two years, and even though her friends were busy her first night back in town, she couldn't wait any longer to see her favorite bartender.

After the long day she had moving into her new apartment, she could use a drink or two alone to catch up.

"Shakky!" Nami called out as she entered the nearly empty bar. She grinned brightly when she spotted the woman behind the counter, her eyes going wide as she took a casual drag of her cigarette.

"Nami-chan," she smiled and hurried out to greet Nami with a small hug. The red head giggled as she pulled her to arm's length, hands on her shoulders, while appraising how much Nami had grown. With only a few lushes occupying a booth here and there, Shakky could spare her the attention easily. "I heard you were moving back, but I didn't expect to see you in here this soon. Where's Monkey-chan and the others?"

"Busy," Nami answered with a heavy sigh. Her disappointment vanished into another smile as she was prompted to spin.

She had been in good shape at eighteen, her chest above average, but over the last two years her body filled in even more. She looked youthful and womanly, a trait she naturally took advantage of when she could. Tonight she wasn't worried about working any cons, though, so she dressed more modestly in a pair of jeans and a red tank top that ended at her midriff. She knew she was still alluring enough if she needed to be, the casual look holding its own charm.

"That's too bad," Shakky frowned then pulled her toward the bar. "No matter. What do you want to drink? It's all on the house for you tonight."

"Really!?" Nami squealed in delight, earning a laugh from the older woman. "Then let's start with your best wine."

Shakky laughed even louder, knowing she was at risk of losing her best stock to the woman, but in the end she wouldn't have it any other way. As she went down to the cellar beneath the bar, Nami took a seat at the counter, smiling to herself as she relaxed in one of her favorite hang outs that she hadn't been to in far too long. Shakky was the only one in town who ignored the drinking age when it came to people she personally liked, and she was also the cheapest to go to if you were one of those liked few. Unfortunately for everyone else who came in tonight, they'd end up charged extra to help cover her nonexistent tab.

"Well, well, well." Nami went rigid at the low growl, her head slowly turning to the door to find the last person she wanted to reunite with walk into the bar. "If it isn't my favorite little thief."

Nami pointedly looked away, her smile gone as she glared at the back of the bar. She would not let him ruin this. She would sit and drink with her old friend. Eustass Kid did not even have to exist to her that night.

"Oh? You gonna ignore me, Kitten?" He chuckled as he walked over, waving his amused friends over to their spot while he pulled up the bar stool to her right. She spared him a sidelong glance to see a sardonic grin. He sat close enough, his legs spread with his feet propped on the rungs of her own stool, that she felt helplessly trapped. As he leaned in, elbow resting on the bar top, chin propped on his fist, she began to feel skittish and wary, even more so when he caught her looking. "There's the pretty brown eyes I remember." She answered with a hardened gaze. "And that glare. Keep it up, Nami, and I might just fall for you all over again."

"You didn't fall for me," she finally answered with a huff, turning away again as Shakky finally returned, the bartender looking between the pair warily as she poured Nami's wine. "I conned you and stole your wallet."

"Hmph," he chuckled, "and then I caught you before you could get away. Look at us, reminiscing old times. You gonna try again tonight? Cozy up to me like you did back then, and I might humor you for a while."

"Go to hell, Kid." She bit out. "I'm just here to have a drink, not talk to an ass like you."

"You disappear on me two years ago, and you greet me with the bitch act the first time you see me," he growled, but there was a hint of mirth in his tone as he stood up. "I get it, Kitten," he said while walking around her to his friends, his hand reaching out to ruffle through her long hair. "You broke my heart, and I broke yours, there's no going back after that." She growled, practically hissing as she swatted his hand away and ran her fingers through the messed up locks, pulling them around her neck protectively. His grin grew as he watched her reaction, his eyes not so subtly sweeping over her. "My offer from back then still stands. Even more so after seeing how much you've grown up." His eyes landed on her chest. "I'm definitely not disappointed."

Nami's jaw dropped. It took every ounce of control to restrain herself from throwing her wine in his face. It'd be such a waste of good wine tossing it at a barking dog. She forced her shock to turn into a sneer and swiveled in her stool so her back was to him, sticking with the cold shoulder as he laughed loudly.

"See ya 'round, Nami. Don't be such a stranger. Shakky! Couple pitchers over here!" He called back to the bartender as he finally left the red head alone.

Nami let out a deep sigh of relief, the woman across from her looking sympathetic. "You should get out of here, Nami-chan. We can catch up another night."

"No, it's fine. If I leave now, then he wins… _again_." She bit out, sending a fleeting glare over to the man.

He was giving Killer a shove in the back, barking another loud laugh as he relaxed with his small group of friends. As much as she had changed the last two years, he had changed, too. He was as large and imposing as ever, more bulky muscle hidden beneath the simple dark blue button down shirt he wore. The only thing that looked the same from two years ago were the beaten up combat boots that were hidden beneath his loose, torn up jeans.

He had a couple of nasty scars snaking down the left side of his face and neck, and with his sleeves rolled up, she recognized a cybernetic arm in place of the limb he had two years ago. It was an expensive prosthetic, too. Her friend Franky would know more about it, the engineer being a pioneer in the field. It was simple and fit him well, at first glance most wouldn't be able to tell it was a fake limb except for the metallic pins and splints running along the flesh-like covering where bone and joint would normally be hidden.

He even painted the fake nails black to match his other hand.

Some part of her was curious just what happened to give him such a gruesome injury, but she wasn't about to ask, and not just because she couldn't stand the thought of talking to him.

"So, Shakky," she smiled, pushing all thoughts of Kid out of her mind as she watched the woman fill the pitchers for the guys. "How have things been here?"

"About what you'd expect." Shakky laughed. "It's always lively here, but hasn't been the same without you around. Your friends, too; they haven't been visiting much without you. I know a lot of people are going to be happy to see you back."

"If she keeps her hands off my wallet, then I can say I'm pretty excited to see her around again," Kid interrupted as he slid up to the counter to grab the pitchers of ale Shakky set on the bar. Killer stood beside him, taking four pint glasses and putting in an order for some appetizers. Kid glanced over at Nami when she leveled an annoyed glare on him, his grin only widening. "It's gonna be fun making her life a living hell anytime I see her."

"Good luck with that, Kid," Nami rolled her eyes and took a sip of her wine. "At most you're just going to be an annoying little pest buzzing around to give me a headache."

"Tsh, you keep running your mouth like that, and I'll give ya a real headache," he growled, his mirth gone at her insult as he took a sudden step closer. To Nami's relief, Killer halted him with a hand on his shoulder, pulling him away from her before he could make good on his threat.

"Calm down, Kid. If you wouldn't goad her like that, she'd probably leave you alone," Killer reasoned, glancing over at Nami to see if he was right.

"You stay in your corner, I'll stay here at the bar, and we can be perfectly civil without speaking to each other." She nodded calmly, turning to look straight ahead again.

Another growl rumbled in Kid's chest, but his temper calmed quickly enough as he moved away and stomped to his table with their beer. Killer hung back for a moment, a small sigh escaping him as he glanced at his friend before turning back to Nami with a hint of a smile.

"Don't mind him too much. He took a pretty quick liking to you, and you made a big enough impression on him in one night that he's had a hard time forgetting about it. He's still a little sore." Killer confided, Nami raising a brow as she glanced over to Kid with a knowing smirk.

"Oi! Killer! What the hell are you telling her!?" Kid hollered when he caught her looking. "Get your ass over here so we can drink!"

The blond chuckled lowly as he turned away from her, sending her a small wave. "Welcome back, Nami."

"Thanks, Killer," she smiled sincerely at his back. He really was the level-headed one.

She was relieved that the next hour went by easily. As promised, Nami and Kid ignored one another, even when Kid would come to the bar to order more drinks, or Nami got up to go to the bathroom, walking right past his group, though she could feel his eyes following her. She tried not to remember what happened the last time she had come out of that bathroom, but still she hesitated and peeked out into the hall to make sure he wasn't there before venturing back to her seat at the bar.

She was thinking of calling it a night as business picked up and her second bottle of wine was empty, but she lingered for a few more minutes, drinking some water to help take a little of the buzz from her mind before she headed out. Unfortunately the extra time meant she had to deal with someone she learned to be more of an ass than Kid.

"Yo! Shakky!" A tall man with long dark brown hair tied up in a high ponytail called out as he walked in with a few others. The first thing she noticed was his large grin and strangely long arms, the rest she dismissed as she ignored him. "Get us our usual- whoa," he froze as his gaze landed on the red head, and if it were possible, his grin spread even more. Nami glanced at him again, her eyes going wide as she saw him staring at her. "Who's this babe?"

In the blink of an eye, he was leaning against the bar in the stool next to her, a long arm wrapped around the back of her seat as he invaded her space.

"Name's Apoo, dollface." He grinned. "What's yours?"

"That's nothing you need to know," she answered coldly. "Now go away."

"Aww, come on, babe. All I want to know is your name." He frowned, much to her surprise. She didn't think he could pull it off with his large teeth.

"And all I want is for you to go away."

"Give me your name, and I'll consider it." He reasoned, that smile returning.

"Apoo, leave her alone." Shakky warned as she set his drink in front of him. "Or I'll ask you to leave."

"Tsh, alright. She looks too trashy for me, anyway," he finally relented, Nami stifling her relieved sigh.

Her back went rigid when she felt him touch her as he got up, though, that grin bigger than ever as she glanced at him. She tried to lean away, but his hand stayed on her back, running up until it was wrapped around her shoulder.

"But if you get lonely over here, just holler and I'll keep you company."

"She doesn't need your company," a low voice rumbled in warning on her other side and she was actually thankful when Apoo was distracted by the man glaring beside her.

She turned in her seat to watch as Kid grabbed Apoo's wrist tightly, forcing him to release her and step back as Kid moved toward him.

"And I thought I told you not to show your face around here, anymore?" He said while shoving Apoo's arm away.

"Last I checked, you don't own the place, so as long as I have cash, Shakky doesn't tell me to go away." The other man grinned. "But look at this, never thought I'd see the day a jerk like you stepped up to defend a random girl. You must be desperate if you're pretending to be the nice guy."

Nami snorted in amusement at that, even Kid couldn't help but smirk as he slung his arm around her from behind. She didn't brush him off, no matter how much she wanted to. He was an asshole, yes, but he was the asshole she knew and he was scaring off the other for her. She knew better than to turn his help down here.

"Nami? Some random girl? Nah, she and I go way back," Kid grinned, his arm squeezing around her shoulders a little tighter. "Isn't that right, Kitten?"

"Yep, we have quite the history between us," she agreed easily. She tilted her head back to look up at him, catching his amused gaze.

He glanced at Apoo one last time, dismissive and a bit cocky, then his attention was back on her as he nudged his head toward his watchful friends. "If you're done talkin' with Shakky, get back over to the table before ya give jerks like him the wrong impression."

She sparred the other man a short look, taking in his disappointment and annoyance at supposedly being beaten to her by Kid, then sent a smile and wave to Shakky before slipping off her stool.

"It was great catching up, Shakky."

"Anytime, Nami-chan." The older woman cocked a brow at her, pointedly glancing at Kid, but Nami's smile only grew telling her not to worry about it. "Should I get another bottle of wine for you, or are you wanting something else?"

"I'll take some more wine for now." Nami grabbed her glass and subtly shrugged off Kid's hold, but as a gesture of thanks for his interference with the now glaring Apoo, as well as keeping with the charade, she made sure to trail her hand over his stomach as she walked around him to head toward his corner and friends. "Don't get into a fight, Kid. We're supposed to be having fun tonight."

Kid chuckled at her act. "I promised to be on my best behavior, but if a guy's asking to be punched, then I'm going to punch him."

Still, she was surprised to see him follow after her, sending one last cocky grin back to Apoo. The other man huffed, spun on his heel before there was further confrontation, and went to sit with his friends on the opposite side of the bar.

"Thanks," she said quietly, but sincerely once they got to his area.

"Tsh, I hate that guy. He's a prick. The only good thing about him is when I punch that smug look off his face and knock out a few teeth." Kid grumbled, his humor gone. "Just don't go near my wallet, and you can hang out with us. Take it again, I'll break your pretty little fingers."

Nami forced herself not to cringe at the threat she knew he was likely to follow through on, instead rolling her eyes as she took a seat next to Killer. "Do I look like an idiot to you?"

Kid eyed her closely as he sat down across from her, leaning back and grabbing his pint to take a sip before answering with a hint of a smirk. "No, you definitely don't."

She couldn't help but smile, letting herself relax as the lingering hostility between them from earlier dwindled.

"Does this mean you two are going to be nice to each other?" Killer asked, looking between the two cautiously.

"I think we can call a truce for tonight. What do you think, Kid?" She held out her hand across the table, her smile growing as his did.

"Sounds good to me, Kitten." He said as his much larger hand clasped around hers. A quick shake and he released her to lean back in his chair just as Shakky came by with her next bottle. "How many bottles have you had tonight?"

"This will be my third," she shrugged as if it were nothing. It wasn't, not for her, she could easily keep with the pace she had and walk out at two in the morning just barely tipsy.

"Damn," he chuckled. "Now that I remember, you did pack away a lot of liquor that one night. Hard to think a chick like you could handle so much. Makes me wonder just how much it'd take for you to black out."

"A lot," she said, sipping at a fresh glass she poured herself. "I've only ever drank that much once, and I don't plan to do it again."

"Chicken," he teased with a wide grin.

"I'm not a chicken, I'm just not a fan of the hangover, or alcohol poisoning, and I do need to go home eventually." She rolled her eyes.

"We'll make sure you get home, Kitten. Let loose and have some fun with us. I know you were enjoying yourself that night, it wasn't all an act." He said lowly as he leaned over the table again.

She frowned, unhappy that he had managed to catch on to that. She _had_ enjoyed the short time she spent with him and his friends, though she'd never admit it, at least not to his face.

"Fine, be stubborn about it," he shrugged when she didn't answer. "Just finish your wine and maybe then you'll remember how to stop being so frigid and have a little damn fun."

"Stop calling me frigid," she snapped at him. "And I know how to have fun."

"I know you do," he grinned, enjoying her reaction, "but you've been nothing but a stuck up bitch with me tonight."

"That's because you're an ass, and the last guy I'd ever want to hang out with!" She yelled, turning sideways in her chair in an attempt to dismiss him. She heard Killer sigh heavily beside her. So much for that truce.

"No! The last guy you want to hang out with is the shithead I chased off for you!" Kid came back, his voice raising in volume to match hers. "But if you've had a change of heart, then go latch onto him for all I care! Ungrateful bitch!"

She snapped her head around to glare heatedly at him.

"Oh! See! I knew Kid couldn't get a girl like that. They're already fighting." They heard Apoo hollering from across the room. "If he's too much for you, you're still welcome over here!"

"Stay out of this!" Kid and Nami yelled back together, turning their glares on him rather than each other.

The sudden sensation of being on the same side again quelled Nami's temper and she turned back to Kid with an uneasy, yet calmer, look. He looked to be quelling his temper, too, his lips tugged down in a thoughtful frown. They stared at each other for a moment, as if having a wordless conversation, and then suddenly they were both smiling.

"Think you can handle it, Kitten?" He chuckled low enough that only the group at their table could hear.

The three men with them were looking back and forth between them, trying to catch up with the abrupt change in mood.

"Who do you think you're talking to, Kid? Of course I can." She winked and gracefully picked herself up. Her expression changed back into anger instantly. "You know what!? I've had enough of your crap, Kid! You're such an asshole!"

Kid managed to school his face into a twisted rage, but Nami saw the amused glint in his eye as he leaned forward. "Fuck off, then! You'll come crawling back to me just like always, you ugly bitch!"

With one last sneer, she walked off, feeling oddly secure with the weight of his gaze on her back as she stormed for the door. She glanced over at Shakky who was the first to catch on, the woman relaxing as she puffed on a cigarette, leaning over the bar to watch how things played out. She heard some chairs shuffling behind her, and she knew the guys had moved to keep an eye on her, too.

This wasn't exactly how she would play it, but she'd make it work. At least she would if he took the bait.

"Whoa there, sweet thing," she heard before an arm shot out as she walked by his table. "I told ya you're welcome with me."

"I'm not really in the mood," she said, glancing at Apoo with an exhausted look.

"After that little spat, I don't blame you." He grinned, and she tried not to pull away when he grabbed her by the arm and tugged her close. "But trust me. Bet he'll get all jealous and riled up seeing you cuddle up with me."

"That's a horrible idea," she frowned, before glancing back at Kid, catching his far too convincing glare. She shook it off as she sat on the edge of the table, right next to Apoo, and leaned in as if confiding in him. She pouted, feigning a sweet innocence. "If he gets mad, he might try to hurt you, Apoo. I'd feel terrible if something happened to you because of me."

"Heh, don't worry about me." He reassured, his hold on her arm pulling her until she was forced into his lap. He just made everything so much easier for her, albeit a great deal more annoying. "I've dealt with that muscle-headed idiot plenty. I'll be fine, so just relax."

She squirmed away as he leaned his face in close, pushed at his shoulders when he only continued to follow after her.

"Stop," she said firmly. She tried to pull herself from his lap, but his arm held her down, trapping her there.

She sent a glance over to the other corner, and her eyes widened at what she saw.

Or more like didn't see.

Kid and his gang were gone, and she was stuck in some asshole's lap. She was going to kill him.

"Gah!" She heard Apoo cry out as his head was wrenched back by the ponytail.

Nami's attention snapped back to see Kid behind him, growling in the other man's ear after sneaking up on them. How he managed to do that with his size and temper was beyond her, but she was no less grateful to see he hadn't abandoned her. The guys, too, were holding back Apoo's friends, making sure they don't interfere in whatever Kid planned to do and let her get away unscathed.

"She told you to stop," Kid said lowly. "Now let my girl go, or I'll rip your fucking head off by this ugly ass ponytail."

Apoo chuckled, his gaze sliding back to the man holding him as he slowly lifted both his arms, as if surrendering, and freeing Nami to jump away from him.

"Nami," Kid said, his attention not leaving Apoo, "go back to our table." She hesitated for a split second despite herself. "_Now._"

She didn't argue, and as soon as she turned her back, there was a loud crash and she hurried out of the path of the brawl. She stood back at the bar, watching with a sick fascination as Kid grinned maniacally at Apoo, the two trading blows while the other men did the same around them. The fighting began to spread, and with a short, subtle whistle from Shakky, Nami jumped behind the bar for some protection.

Tables and chairs were destroyed. Bottles and glasses shattered. Curses and insults flew wild.

Five minutes later it was over with Kid literally kicking Apoo out of the building, his friends tossed out behind him. He came back, grinning with a split lip, cracking his bruised knuckles, and looking at her with another bruise blooming on his right cheekbone.

"Don't tell me you were hidin' back there?" He teased as he took one of the stools, the other three men taking a seat with him, just as bruised and battered as their leader.

"What?" Nami grinned cheekily as she stepped back, hand on a cocked hip. "And get my outfit dirty?" She tugged at a strap of her tank top. "Do you have any idea how much this shirt cost?"

"Knowing you? Next to nothing." He laughed, Nami joining in with him. "Did ya get it?"

She pursed her lips and leaned over the bar in front of him, Shakky watching closely from beside her as she pulled out the simple money clip she was after. She waved it in front of his face playfully before holding it out for Shakky to take. "You're still not charging for my drinks tonight, right, Shakky?"

"Of course not, Nami-chan," Shakky said while flipping through the bills. "And it looks like this should more than cover all the damages," she hummed while slipping the cash into her pocket before holding up the only thing left of value- a shiny black credit card, "and maybe a little extra to spare."

"In that case, keep the drinks flowing for us tonight," Kid laughed and pushed away from the bar again. "Nami! Do me a favor and grab some ice when you come back to the table. Shots, too!"

"I don't want to jinx this, but… are you two done fighting for the night?" Killer asked as he stood from his stool, Wire and Heat heading to the table first.

"I can't make any promises," Nami shrugged as she dumped some ice from the freezer onto a towel, but after what just happened, she couldn't see them getting into another argument. At least not a serious one. "I think it's safe to say that whatever animosity we have for each other won't ruin the rest of the night."

Killer let out an amused huff and took the wrapped up ice when she offered it, then stayed while she made three more so they all could nurse their small injuries. With that done, she helped Shakky with the shots, both women carrying trays laden with liquor over to the table and awaiting men.

Kid barked a heavy laugh as the trays were set down in front of him, grabbing Nami with his free hand while the other held an ice pack to his cheek, and jerked her down into a chair beside him. "Now let's see if we can't come close to that insane limit of yours." She sent him a look that clearly said she wasn't interested. "Come on. We're celebrating. You stole that prick's wallet, and I got to punch him. A lot. I think that calls for some drinks."

With a roll of her eyes, she reached for a shot glass, deciding to humor him for the time being. She knew how to keep her pace so she wouldn't lose control.

"Good girl," Kid chuckled as she tossed back a shot, earning a hard glare from her.

"What have I told you about patronizing me?" She bit out, Kid only laughing louder after taking his own shot.

"My mistake," he grinned wolfishly as he perched his arm on the back of her chair and raised his hand to set it atop her head, giving her a few condescending pats. "Good kitty."

Her eyes narrowed on him, then with a huff she grabbed another shot. She waited for him to pick up another of his own, and with a sly smirk hidden by her glass, she jammed her elbow into his side just as he was tossing back his drink.

"Fuck!" He choked, his hand leaving her head to smack his chest after inhaling the burning liquor. "That's was uncalled for, you fucking bitch!"

"Stop patronizing me, you ass!" She yelled back.

"Take a joke!"

"You guys," Killer groaned, "can you go five minutes without arguing? Please."

The pair of red heads sat glaring at each other, the standoff ending when they both turned away with a huff. Even as they refused to acknowledge each other, Kid kept his arm propped on Nami's chair, and Nami didn't give up on the whole night and leave like she'd expect. She even took another shot, letting it warm her blood and forget why she was mad in the first place.

She was actually having some fun with the guys. If arguing regularly was something she was averse to, then she wouldn't have become such good friends with Zoro. Kid was certainly more of an ass than her friend, but he had his moments that made it almost… _charming_? She wasn't sure what else to call it.

"So, where the hell have you been the last two years?" Kid suddenly spoke up once their tempers had cooled again.

"Study aboard," Nami answered shortly.

"For two fucking years? I thought that was usually for a couple months?" Kid looked at her quizzically.

"Most, yes, but mine was special," she stuck her tongue out at him with a short laugh.

"What are you studying that took you away so long?" Killer asked as Kid tried to snatch her tongue with his thumb and forefinger, growling playfully when she retracted it.

"I'm majoring in both atmospheric sciences with a concentration on meteorology, and physical oceanography. The program I took was for my atmospheric studies. I studied weather and atmospheric conditions all over the world, learning better ways to predict it and even studied potential means for harnessing or changing the weather." She said with a little pride.

The four men at the table with her stared at her in barely contained surprise. Wire and Heat seemed to be processing everything she had just said, while Kid and Killer managed to look impressed once they grasped her studies.

"So I take it with the dual majors you're not just looking to be some weather girl?" Kid asked with a grin as he leaned forward to take another shot.

"Of course not," she said, looking affronted by the joke before laughing. "In a way that'll be my back up plan, though I have no interest in being on TV, but if I can't get a job anywhere else, then I'll do what I need to for money."

"You can always just keep stealing," Kid pointed out, handing her another shot to take before she fell behind. "You're plenty good at that."

"That's no way to survive, Kid, especially if I get caught," she gave him a hard look then tilted back the liquor filled glass.

"Work with me and you won't have to worry about that," he chuckled, clasping his arm around her shoulder and tugging her to his side. "I'll take care of anyone who tries to hurt ya."

"Oh, what a gentleman," she rolled her eyes, shrugging out of his hold. "As noble an offer as that is, I'd rather not pickpocket for the rest of my life, plus I love what I'm studying."

"Yeah, but it's such a waste. I know that shit isn't cheap," Kid grumbled, another shot down. "Surprised a girl like you'd be so willing to throw your money away just for a chance to work in a field you enjoy."

"It's not throwing my money away! Plus I'm getting scholarships, the rest I've saved my entire life for. It's an investment." She huffed, needing another shot before she got irritated with him.

"Tsh, they sold you on that investment bullshit, too? You're a cat thief, you should know a con a mile away." He argued.

"Kid, just because it wasn't for you, doesn't mean it's the wrong choice for Nami," Killer attempted to reason before the actually pleasant conversation turned heated.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Nami asked, turning to Kid who was glaring daggers at his friend across the table. "Did you go to college?"

"Yeah. Don't wanna talk about it." He grunted, taking another shot and slamming the glass on the table, the sound clearly a warning not to push the subject. She blinked as he stood abruptly and grabbed a cue off the wall. "Enough of that. Let's see how well you play, Kitten."

Nami glanced over at Killer when Kid took to the pool table to set up a rack. The blond shrugged apologetically. Apparently it was a sore subject for the red head, one that Nami was intensely curious to know more about now.

She couldn't picture a guy like Kid, short tempered, foul mouthed, and impatient, even considering an education. She definitely didn't think he wasn't intelligent enough for it; despite his personality, he was incredibly sharp and insightful, plus he always seemed to know a lot more than he ever let on.

"Get your ass over here and play!" Kid shouted impatiently, ending any curious feelings as she glared at him.

"Maybe I don't want to!" She yelled back stubbornly.

"Like I care! You're hangin' out with us tonight, so you're gonna play when I tell you to!"

"You can't order me around like that!"

"Tough shit! I am! Now get over here!"

"No!"

"Damn it! Why not!?"

"Because I said so!"

"That's not a reason!"

"Because I'm not going to respond to you bossing me around like an asshole!"

"Stubborn bitch! Just play one fucking game with me!"

"I said no!"

Killer groaned across the table from her, his palm sweeping over his face, and distracting both red heads from their latest argument to glare at him.

"You two are exhausting." He let his commentary slip out, disregarding the heated looks sent at him for it.

After a moment, Kid seemed to calm himself with a deep breath and turned back to Nami. She looked at his surly expression and watched as he forced a cocky smirk.

"I'd probably kick your ass so easily it wouldn't even be fun," he taunted.

Nami's eyes narrowed on him, but she refused to rise to his bait. She might have her pride, but she wasn't competitive enough to let a comment like that sting. "If thinking that makes you feel better, then go right ahead and think it." She said with a huff, arms crossed over her chest. "I'm still not playing."

"Tsh," he regarded her closely, equally stubborn in getting his way, and when an idea came to him, he grinned widely at her. "How 'bout I make it interesting?"

She raised a brow, silently telling him to go on.

"We'll make a wager." He had her attention now. "I'll bet a hundred that you can't beat me."

She scrutinized him as she considered it. She knew he was good, at least he was when she last saw him two years ago, but she knew her way around every game in the bar. Even if she wasn't particularly good at it, she knew how to gain an advantage when she needed one. Was a measly amount of money worth risking her own cash?

"If you need more incentive, then if you win, I won't order you around for the rest of the night."

"Deal." She said easily, jumping from her chair and grabbing a cue. "You can break."

Kid let out a low chuckle, and the game was on.

* * *

"You should give up," Kid said fifteen minutes in when they were each on their last shots. He was lining up to hit the six ball into a side pocket, but his gaze slid to where she stood leaning against the table to his right. He didn't even try to keep his eyes on her face, letting them settle on her chest and the cleavage she exposed as she leaned forward, his arrogant smirk intact. "Not that I don't like the view, because I do, but you should know by now it's a waste of time."

He didn't give her time to answer as he turned back to his shot, pushing his cue forward with the right amount of force, the cue ball smashing into the six to send it banking off the wall and into the side pocket he had been aiming for. She huffed and stood straight, pouting as she saw her chance for victory slip away as he walked around her to line up for his shot at the eight ball.

"Maybe if you got a little more close and personal, you'd have a better chance of distracting me, Kitten," he said lowly in her ear as he walked by, pointedly running his hand over her lower back. "Wonder what I'm going to spend that hundred on?"

Deciding he was right, Nami stood back and watched as he sank the eight ball with ease, glaring at the table the entire time.

"If it's any consolation, it was a good game," Kid laughed as he came back to her, tossing his stick onto the table. When he was towering over her, he held out his hand. "Pay up, Nami."

Damn she did not want to give up her money, but a bet was a bet, and there was no way she'd suggest an alternative prize, not with him. With a sigh, she reached into her shirt to pull out the bills she had on her, eliciting a cocked brow from her companion.

"You still keep all your cash in your bra?"

"Best place to hide it. Harder for someone to pick my pocket that way." She smirked, holding out the money she owed.

"Hmm, makes sense," he mused, his eyes still on her chest as he reached for the money. She stiffened when his hand wrapped around hers, forgoing the cash as he tugged her forward, his gaze finally moving up to her face again. "Maybe instead of cash, you can pay me with something else in that bra."

She didn't think as she reacted, taking a step back and swinging her pool cue up with the intent to smack him in the temple. He reacted just as fast, his other hand flying up to catch the strike only inches from his face. He was grinning madly at her, amused with the violent response to his suggestion.

"Relax. I was kidding." He said while his other hand slipped off of hers, taking the bill from her grasp with it. "Just wanted to see your reaction."

"Creep," she huffed, forcing herself to relax.

"Heh, that's a new one." He pushed her cue away and turned to look at his friends, dismissing the little exchange easily. "Heat! You're up, man."

Nami took the chance to escape back to the table, downing another shot purely out of annoyance with Kid and the loss she just endured.

As the night wore on, and the liquor made her feel even more at ease with her unexpected drinking buddies, Nami found an opportunity to get her money back.

Kid snorted in amusement as she slid up to some random patron who had challenged him to a match, but didn't say anything as he focused on his game. He had already made a decent stack of cash off the idiots who took him on that night, and Nami made sure to grab whatever they had left. She had made her hundred back, plus another five, and so far only one of the men tried to get a little aggressive with her, but was quickly chased off by Kid.

The last guy, luckily, responded just enough for her to slip a few bills from his wallet, replacing it before he could notice. She had just pocketed the money when Kid missed a shot, one Nami knew he shouldn't have, giving her an opening to get away as his opponent took his turn. In the end, that one missed shot didn't mean a thing to him, Kid easily overcame it and won his latest bet, leaving the guy broke.

When he tried to at least get some consolation with Nami, though, he was immediately faced with Kid's shortened temper, scared off with one glare from the man.

"Told ya, Nami. Stick with me and you can make a ton of money like this." Kid grunted as he slumped back into the chair beside her and reached in front of her for another shot off the newest trays Shakky brought to them.

Nami ignored him in favor of excitedly counting her latest prize beneath the table. She'd admit only to herself, he did make it easier, but that wasn't exactly a good thing. Pick-pocketing was a means she resorted to only rarely, even if she took advantage of Kid's willingness to help and practically made a game of it. She'd rather make a more honest living doing what she loved and not steal from every lowlife in a bar.

"I think this is best left a one-time partnership, Kid," she finally said as she slipped her cash into her shirt. She caught his disappointed frown at her answer, and laughed while giving a reassuring pat to his thigh. "If it makes you feel better, I did have fun… at least I did when you weren't such an asshole."

"Heh, I knew it," he grinned, his arm wrapping around the back of her chair casually. "And just admit it, you were having fun when I was being an ass, too."

"No way," she huffed, sticking her tongue out at him again.

He laughed and gave a remarkably gentle tug to a strand of her hair. "You're cute when you're in denial."

Nami swatted his hand away, trying to ignore him as she grabbed another shot. He only chuckled again as he watched her finish it and go for another before waving down Shakky for more.

"At least you're finally cutting loose tonight. I'll be glad to see that bitch act end for good at this rate."

"Don't hold your breath," she glared mildly, but took another shot when he handed it to her.

The rest of the night went by in a blur after that. They drank. They talked. They fought. Kid would make a half-hearted pass at her, and she'd bat him away. They'd fight again. And they drank even more.

By the time the bar closed, Kid had his arms around Heat and Wire as they practically dragged him to the car. Nami was half asleep on Killer's back, mumbling about how soft his hair was while Kid growled at Killer to keep his hands off his woman. Nami tried to smack his arm, telling him to stop calling her that, but ended up hitting Wire instead. Kid forgot his complaints as he cackled at the sour look on his friend's face, egging her on to do it again.

"I think I liked it better when you two couldn't stop fighting," Killer mumbled to himself.

* * *

**These two seriously just could not stop bickering about everything. I love it, though I feel it made this dialogue heavy. Oh well.**

**And a recurring thing in these chapters is going to be Kid's intelligence, because I sincerely believe he is extremely intelligent, it's just his temper and personality mask it. I could go into a whole thing on my personal feelings on the state of Kid's mind, but you'll get an idea as this fic goes along.**

**Anyway, still love reviews on this since it really is new territory for me. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Just spitting out one chapter after another. Can't seem to help myself.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.**

* * *

_An Uneasy Friendship_

Her neck was stiff and sore that morning. It was the first thing that registered in her foggy mind. The second thing was that her pillow was incredibly uncomfortable. She shifted, trying to find a better position for her aching neck, but it only got worse as she realized the reason for her discomfort. Her pillow was her own arm, and the position she was in made her head dip awkwardly. She must have been sleeping in that position for a while if it created so many horrible cricks in her neck.

With a groan, she rolled, the movement just as odd as her position when she noticed the space she had to turn was narrower than it should be. Tired and sore, she didn't give it a second thought as she settled again. There was a hint of light behind her shut eyelids, though, that kept her from getting back to sleep easily. Tugging up her blanket and burying her head further forward took care of most of that annoyance, and she gratefully felt her mind drift away again.

Then the delayed headache came and stabbed at her dreamless sleep until she was rousing again to groan in annoyance.

Her irritation grew in volume at a sudden blast of noise nearby that she tried to drown out by burying her head even further into her blanket and arms.

"Kid!" A harsh whisper broke through the noise. "Turn that down before you wake her up!"

There was an annoyed grumble, but the volume of whatever was creating the barrage of noise was turned down and Nami felt a hint of relief.

"How long are we gonna let her crash on the couch, damn it?" She heard Kid growl, and consciousness began to come crashing down on her as she remembered where she was.

After leaving the bar the night before… Or was it early that morning? Regardless of the day, Killer drove her to their house. It was closer to the bar and she was in no condition to get home on her own, the older man telling her to sleep it off on their couch. Drunk and too tired to argue, she agreed, and somewhere after that, she was completely passed out in the living room of their house. She couldn't entirely remember the drive between the bar and the house, but she was glad to know that he had gotten her there and onto the couch.

She was almost worried for a second that Kid would get her in his bed with the state she was in.

"She's been sleeping all morning. Shouldn't we wake her and get her out of here?" Kid grumbled again.

"You just woke up fifteen minutes ago," she heard Killer answer. His voice sounded distant, and there was a faint sound of a cupboard closing and a pan being placed on the stove, and she guessed he was in the kitchen. She had a vague awareness that it was just off the living room, open to the main floor of the house with only a small dining area between it and the living area she was sleeping in. "You can't complain about her sleeping in after getting her drunk, when you do it every day, drunk or not."

Kid grumbled something under his breath that she couldn't hear, but didn't argue the point further. It didn't matter anyway, Nami was awake, even if she desperately didn't want to be.

With a drawn out groan, she forced her eyes open and pulled the blanket from her head just enough to peek out at the room. It was way too bright. How could they stand this light?

She blinked, trying to get her eyes and head adjusted to it as she looked around. There was a large patio door across from the wrap around couch, flooding the room with what she guessed was late morning sunlight. Her gaze moved back to the television on the wall behind her head. She wasn't surprised to see it on. It looked to be on some mid-day movie, she couldn't be sure, but it was violent and not something she cared to observe any longer than that. Still getting her bearings, she finally glanced over to the other end of the couch and the section that wrapped around, acting as a cut off between the living area and the kitchen/ dinette area.

He was watching her silently. She hadn't expected that, but she guessed he noticed her movement and was waiting to see if she'd finally wake up.

He was wearing a dark, burgundy tank that was big enough to hang loosely on his frame, and baggy black shorts that went to his knee. His feet were resting on the edge of the coffee table in front of them, letting her see that, like his hands, his toenails were painted in a matching color, and if she wasn't so hung over, she'd have to force down her amusement at the image of him going through the effort. She was surprised to see his cybernetic arm off, leaving a stump just off his shoulder, and a metal collar fused into the flesh and bone where the fake limb was likely attached.

That was going to take some getting used to if she saw him again.

"Quit staring," he growled, drawing her attention away to see him glaring darkly at her. "Fucking know some manners, woman."

She narrowed her eyes on him as she shoved the throw blanket off and began to push herself up. "Sorry. I just wasn't expecting to see that."

"Still don't have to stare." He grumbled and turned back to the television.

"Just ignore him," Killer said as he came into the room, a mug of coffee in his hand that he offered to her. "He's cranky in the morning."

"Fuck you. I just don't like being stared at." Kid bit out, grabbing the remote and angrily flipping through the channels to find something else to watch.

"I can see that," she said with a roll of her eyes, taking the mug with a hint of a smile. "Thanks. What time is it, anyway?"

"Almost noon," the blond answered as he went back to the kitchen. Kid grumbled about wanting some coffee, too, but was ignored by the others.

"Shit," Nami hissed, kicking off the blanket the rest of the way and scrambling to find her cell phone. She could feel Kid watching her as she dug in her pockets, and then the couch cushions, until she found it wedged in the back of the couch. Unlocking the screen, she cursed again at all the missed calls and text messages from her friends. "I better get out of here before my friends send out a search party."

Kid grunted, his attention back on the screen as she stood, only to collapse back onto the couch when a wave of dizziness and nausea hit her.

"Don't fucking push yourself. I ain't cleaning up if you puke out here." He muttered, and she tried to glare at him again.

"He's right. Rude, but right." Killer said as he came back out with a small plate of toast and a few slices of bacon.

"Oi! Where's my breakfast and coffee? I'm hung over, too!" Kid shouted.

Nami winced, then shot him another glare before taking the plate gratefully, hoping it might settle her stomach.

"She's a guest, Kid, and our responsibility to take care of until she leaves. You can show some manners, too." Killer lectured as he returned to the kitchen.

"I did last night! That's my damn sweatshirt she's wearing!" He hollered again, gaining another wince as he grated on Nami's headache.

She growled low in her throat, even as she glanced down to see a maroon zip up hoodie covering the clothes she was wearing the night before, giving her some extra warmth in case the throw blanket wasn't enough. It was certainly warm and cozy, the fur lining the inside ensuring that, and she felt moderately thankful he'd lent it to her.

With a small frown, she picked up a strip of bacon and held it over to him. He took it without a word, but his surly mood lightened and he finally gave her a smirk. He was content until Killer was done making the rest so he could eat. Once the food was prepared, the blond plopped into the corner seat of the couch between Nami and Kid, kicking up his feet as he got comfortable with them.

It was strange seeing him in baggy flannel pajama bottoms instead of the jeans he had been wearing both times she'd met him. Actually it was strange seeing both men in their sleepwear, calm and almost domestic. It wasn't a side of them she ever imagined she'd see.

The trio ate in silence, Kid leaning over the coffee table to eat with his one arm, while the other two were able to lean back, curl up more comfortably.

"Where's Heat and Wire?" Nami asked once she started feeling a little more awake.

"Work," Killer answered in between bites. "They left a few hours ago."

"Oh." She hadn't expected that. Then again, she didn't even know what any of these men did for a living, and she half expected it all to be illegal considering their penchant for fighting, and how willing they were to help her steal wallets.

"We do actually have jobs, ya know." Kid said, drawing her attention to him to see he was glaring over his plate of food at her, seemingly reading her thoughts. "Money makes the world go fucking round, and all that shit."

She pursed her lips and decided it best not to say anything, not with his mood. He did have a good point, after all, even if she didn't expect it.

"I've got some shit to do today," Kid began after finishing off his meal. He pointed at Nami just as she was getting up to take her dish to the kitchen. "Give me a few and I'll give ya a ride home."

"Actually, just take me back to Shakky's." She said, grabbing his plate on her way to the kitchen as she walked by. She saw a look of confusion pass over his face. "I left my bike in her garage."

"Huh," he grunted, but gave a shrug as he got up. "Whatever works, Kitten."

While Kid got dressed, Killer directed Nami to the guest bathroom to clean up a bit. A few quick splashes of cold water to her face, and two pills of Aspirin courtesy of Killer, and she felt good enough to get home, or deal with her friends' inevitable lectures when she told them where she'd been.

It was a relief when the drive to Shakky's went by quietly. Her headache was ebbing, but she still didn't have the patience to deal with Kid if he decided to be an ass like normal. At least his mood seemed better.

"Just drop me around the back where her garage is," Nami directed once he was pulling into the parking lot. Shakky owned the whole building her bar was at, including a loft unit she lived in, and an attached garage she let Nami park in whenever she rode her bike there. It was secure and let Nami feel safe if she ever had to leave it overnight, much like last night.

"Screw that, I want to see this bike of yours," Kid grumbled as he parked right outside the garage.

She rolled her eyes at him, but didn't argue as she turned to get out of the car. He followed casually behind her, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans, as she approached the garage. She spared him a glance to see his bored expression, leaving her to wonder why the hell he didn't just drop her off and leave. Deciding not to question it, she focused on entering the key code into the lock pad to open the door.

"Nice," he whistled, an impressed smirk pulling up a corner of his lips as he stepped in ahead of her to take a look at the orange and black sport bike tucked to the side of Shakky's own car. Nami quirked a brow as he crouched down beside it, resting his hand on the seat while he looked over the engine. "Is this a 1340 CC engine?"

"It is," she said, her tone a little unsure as she tried to process this other side of Kid.

"Light-weight frame… and these pistons… this must be pretty easy for you to handle at high speeds." He had a look in his eye that reminded her of how Luffy could get when staring at a gourmet buffet with all you could eat meat as he examined every feature of her bike. She couldn't help but smile at it, it was quite charming. "Six-speed takes some wear off the engine, too. Bet it's a smooth ride." She couldn't restrain her amused giggle as he went on, finally distracting him as he glanced up at her curiously. "This bike had to be pretty expensive, Kitten."

"It would have been, but my friend Franky rebuilt it for me after we found it at an impound lot together. I fell in love with it in a second," she placed a hand on the back of the bike with a sentimental smile, "and he offered to get it in condition for me to ride."

"Huh," Kid grunted as he looked back at the bike then stood up, still staring down at it. "He did a good job on that."

Nami beamed with pride for her friend's work and moved to open the small storage compartment beneath the seat. Kid stepped back, leaning against the wall to watch her. She sent him a bemused look as she pulled out a worn, black leather jacket.

"What?" She asked curiously.

"Just never took you for a girl who'd have a motorcycle." He shrugged, his arms crossed over his chest.

"And apparently I never took you for a guy with a job," she stuck her tongue out at him as he growled. "We're full of surprises, aren't we?" He snorted lightly at that, still watching her closely as she finally removed his sweatshirt and tossed it at him. It had been too cozy for her to take off sooner, and she would have been tempted to steal it if it hadn't been his. "I also didn't expect you to be so interested in my bike."

"Hobby," he shrugged again, finally looking away, as if to examine the rest of the garage. That meant it wasn't something he cared to talk much about, leaving her curious about him again.

"Maybe I'll have to hook you up with Franky. You two can talk cars and whatever technical stuff you guys like." She said breezily, dismissing his look as she slipped on her jacket and zipped it up over her tank top. She looked up just in time to see his gaze on her again, blatantly glued to her breasts as the fitted coat pushed up her bust, her cleavage standing out before she finished zipping it all the way up and covering them completely. His eyes finally snapped to hers, and he smirked when he noticed that she had caught him. Another sigh, a roll of her eyes, and she turned to grab her helmet off the handle bars. "Anyway, thanks for the ride, and letting me sleep on your couch."

"No problem," he muttered, taking the hint and pushing off the wall.

She assumed he was going to leave then, but she was surprised when he stepped closer just as she was twisting up her long hair to fit it underneath her helmet. She glanced up at him in surprise as he grinned down at her, his hand reaching out to grasp her by the hip, turn her toward him, and tug her closer, ignoring the dark glare she sent in warning.

"What do you think you're doing?" She bit out lowly, wishing her bike wasn't behind her. She was trapped there, and he knew it.

"Just thinking we should hang out more often, Kitten. I had a lot of fun with you last night." He chuckled.

"As much fun as it was," she began, reaching down to pry his hand from her to no avail, "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Why not?" He frowned, his hold tightening, pulling her closer still until she was trapped between his body and her bike.

"If you just want to be friends, then I'm fine with it, but," she paused to give a shove for some personal space, "but if you're looking for something else, then I'm not interested."

His frown deepened and she heard a low, irritated rumble in his chest as he finally released her and took a step back, raising his hand in surrender. "Alright, Nami, I get that. Worth a shot, though. I still wouldn't mind hangin' out with ya, especially since you know to keep your hands off my money now."

Another roll of her eyes, and she finished twisting her hair up to slip her helmet on. "I'll think about it," she said, voice muffled by the face guard.

He smirked again and gave a firm pat to her helmet as he turned away. "Sounds good to me. I'll see ya around, Kitten."

She watched as he walked back to his car, hands back in his pockets, before slipping onto her bike and slowly backing it out. He didn't leave immediately, but stood in the door of his car, watching her peel out of the parking lot and take off down the street, breaking the speed limit without a care at all.

Riding away, she let the wind rushing by distract her thoughts about the man she left behind. He confused her, made her curious, and she didn't know what to think of that. One minute she found herself getting along with him, liking him, even. Then the next, she was screaming at him, wanting nothing more than to throttle him. It wasn't necessarily a novel situation for her, but the highs and lows with him were far more extreme than they could be with her other friends. Something about him just made everything more intense….

And she was utterly terrified.

* * *

**Look! They actually had civil conversation! Also, no matter the iteration, Nami will always have a crotch rocket in my AU fics. _Always_. The love she had for her waver demands she have something comparable in a real world setting.**

**Anyway, keep up the reviews and I'll see about giving one more update before the weekend's out. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**It is not often I just get struck with continuous motivation and inspiration for one fic that keeps me churning out chapters, but apparently the universe is aligned just right for this one.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.**

* * *

_A Curious Encounter_

Nami was thankful classes were starting up again. It meant she was busy running around gathering textbooks, getting introduced to her new professors, and seeing just how difficult her course load would be. A few days into the term, she already knew she would have a lot of work ahead of her. She had two research papers to complete by the end of the term that were a large portion of her grade in their respective classes, she had a group project to study a connection between thermohaline circulation and climate change, and then there was continuing research that carried over from her two years abroad. She was a part of a research team studying the means of harnessing and altering the weather; it was a major undertaking and the grants she received from it covered a large portion of her tuition. She had to succeed in it or else she might lose part of her college funding.

It was stressful, but everything revolved around what she was passionate about, where her strengths lie, and she couldn't be more pleased to be moving forward.

Another bonus to her hectic schedule was that it left her with very little time for her mind to wander to a certain crimson haired man who had left her utterly confused after one night.

She hadn't seen Kid in nearly two weeks after her first night back. She hadn't had time to stop in at Shakky's, at least not long enough for her to run into him again. She was grateful because she still felt unsure about the idea of being friends with him. She could tell he wasn't entirely interested in just being friends, but she did enjoy that night with him and his group, so she wasn't opposed to seeing where things went. She wanted to feel confident that she could control the situation so she didn't get too involved with him beyond the occasional night out at a bar.

If it got to be too much, she could always retreat to the safety of her group of friends that doubled as family. They would protect her.

In the meantime, focusing on her studies was her top priority.

There was a coffee shop not far from her apartment that she had come to love. It was peaceful most of the time, and had plenty of cozy couches and chairs for her to relax on as she sipped a chai latte or rich espresso while reading up on ocean salinity or atmospheric density or any number of subjects. It was warm and inviting and the last place any of her noisier friends would appear to disrupt her.

She needed it considering her apartment was far from secure against her friends. She had woken up that very morning to find Luffy passed out in her kitchen, in front of an empty fridge, and Zoro asleep on her couch, or mostly on the couch- his mossy colored head had found its way to the floor at some point in the night. She sighed, kicked them awake, and screamed for them to get out before she charged them rent. An hour later, and she was collapsing on her favorite love seat in the café, content in knowing she had some time to herself to study.

At least that was the plan, until _he_ showed up.

He was the last person she expected to see stroll in, but there was Eustass Kid standing in line, looking surprisingly calm, to order a cup of coffee. He hadn't seemed to notice her, so she sunk down into the cushion more, hid her face behind a book, and hoped he'd leave before spotting her.

"Ya know, if you're tryin' t'hide from me, you should do something about that bright orange hair of yours," she heard him chuckle from above her, Kid tugging on an errant strand that hung over the armrest her head was resting against.

"I'm not trying to hide," she pouted, pulling the book from her face to peer up at him.

"Bullshit," he grinned. He leaned over the back of the sofa, arms crossed in front of him as he idly sipped at his coffee.

"I'm studying. I don't want to _anyone_ interrupting me." She huffed, holding up her textbook to show him that she was being honest.

"Hmm, what'chya studyin'?" He asked, tilting his head to get a glimpse at the page she was on. "Thermodynamics? Thought you were studyin' to be a weather girl? What are you doing learning physics?"

She sat up to smack his arm with her textbook, only to have him snatch it away with another chuckle.

"I'm just teasing, Kitten." He said, walking around to the other side of the couch as he held the book in his cybernetic hand, his attention seemingly rapt by it. He set down his cup on the coffee table, then reached back where she had her legs stretched over the opposite side of the couch, lifted them up, and plopped into the spot before letting her feet settle in his lap. He never once looked at her as he invited himself to sit with her. "I'm guessin' this plays some role in that oceanography crap?"

"It's not crap, but that's part of it, yes. Meteorology uses it, too." She huffed and tried to pull her legs back, only to have his free hand grip them tight as he sank back into the couch, a boot-clad foot propping on the table, and his thumb trailing thoughtlessly over her ankle where it was exposed by her sandals and capris. He grunted, flipped a page with a thumb, and went on reading as he waited for her to elaborate. "I told you about my study abroad program, right?"

"Yeah, somethin' to do with the weather and changing it," he muttered, then flipped another page. He was really confusing her now.

"To put it succinctly, yes," she rolled her eyes and forced herself to relax, despite the crawling sensation spreading over her skin from where his thumb was still tracing over her ankle bone. "I'm working with the research group that ran the program out of my college to develop technology to harness and change the weather, and physics plays a huge role in that. I also have to take a few engineering courses later on, so this is to prepare me for those."

She didn't miss the way his eyes slid to her when she mentioned engineering, and once again that curiosity about him was back, nagging at her mind, because there was something there, something deeper about him that wasn't to be expected. It was wiped away by the wide smirk that spread over his face next.

"Sexy and smart, I like that." He gave her ankle a squeeze and she struggled to get her legs back again.

"Will you stop that," she hissed, "and give me back my book."

"Study somethin' else. I'm reading this now." He grumbled, eyes back on the book.

"What!? Do you even understand any of that?"

"Mhm," he hummed, another page turned. She stared incredulously at him. His temper didn't rise to match her own like it normally did. He really was strangely calm that day, and it was actually freaking her out a little.

"Geez, what the hell is up with you?" She huffed, almost defeated as she turned to the bag resting against the couch on the floor to fish out another textbook, this time for her advanced meteorology course.

"What d'ya mean?" He grumbled distractedly, his hand finally daring to leave her leg long enough to lean forward and grab his coffee, attention still mostly on the book in his other hand.

She slipped her feet off his lap, stifling her sigh of relief, and curled them closer as she sat up on her end of the couch. She caught him shoot a glare at her, but it passed easily enough as he took a long drink from his cup.

"You're actually being… _civil_ today," she explained, setting her book in her lap and opening it to the chapter on cloud microphysics.

"I know how to control my temper, you know," he glared again, lips curled in a barely restrained sneer, essentially on the cusp of disproving what he just said.

"Well this is the first I'm seeing it," she shrugged.

"What about when I drove you back to Shakky's the last time I saw ya? I didn't lose my temper with you, then."

"You were too caught up in drooling over my bike to," she reasoned, trying to force herself to read even as they spoke.

"Not the only thing I was drooling over," he muttered under his breath, but she still heard.

Her eyes snapped up to him, leveling a glare on him as she kicked his thigh as hard as she could.

"Ow! What the fuck was that for, woman!?" He hollered, his temper finally snapping as his hand reached to grab her leg and tug her closer.

"You know exactly what that was for, you creep!" She shrieked back, kicking away from him to no avail as he set aside the book to grab her by both legs, sliding her over to him until she was practically in his lap. She had no idea what he was going to try with her then, so she just slapped a hand in his snarling face to push away from him.

"Take a fucking compliment, woman," he growled, one arm wrapping around her waist in an attempt to hold her still as she continued to squirm, while he tried to pry her hand from his face.

"Your compliments make my skin crawl, Kid," she growled back. "Will you let go of me!"

"No! You fucking kicked me!" He shouted as he finally got her hand and twisted it behind her back.

"What are you even trying to do!?" Her other hand was still free, though, and she quickly smacked it against his face to shove him away.

"To get you to stop struggling!"

"Then let me go and I won't struggle!"

"No!"

"Ass!"

"Bitch!"

They didn't even notice they had the attention of everyone in the shop at that point, too busy growling at each other, Nami either clawing at Kid's face, or tugging at his hair to get him to give up, and Kid, for whatever reason, trying to hold her in place on his lap. They didn't notice until a feminine chuckle echoed behind them, and forced them to calm long enough to look up.

"Well, now this is a surprise, Nami-chan." The red-headed woman blanched at the sight of Robin standing behind her, a cup of tea in one hand, a book in the other, and a knowing smile on her lips as she looked between to the two. There was a hint of worry in her eyes, but she seemed to not think Kid was a threat at that point to let it linger. "I knew you two had buried the proverbial hatchet, but I didn't think you were getting along _this _well."

Nami shrieked, startling Kid who loosened his hold enough for her to kick away, the heel of her sandal unceremoniously striking him in the groin as she scrambled for the other side of the couch. She didn't feel any pity for him as he coughed out a strangled curse and bent over at his waist, heaving and trying to catch his breath as he cradled his injured manhood.

At least she finally got to give him that kick in the balls she felt he deserved two years ago.

"It's not what you think, Robin!" Nami frantically argued, snatching her book and bag as she jumped up, looking to put as much distance between herself and Kid while he was still winded. "Total misunderstanding. But will you look at the time! I better get back home to make sure Luffy hasn't come back to destroy it. I'll talk to you later, Robin!"

Without waiting for her friend to respond, only hearing her continuous chuckles behind her, Nami bolted out the door, face flushed with embarrassment.

At least she knew Robin wouldn't share what she saw with any of their friends. She hoped Robin didn't share it. She was already getting a hard time after crashing at his place that one night, she did not need more because Kid was… doing whatever the hell he was back there.

That man was going to drive her insane, she just knew it.

* * *

Back in the coffee shop, Robin stared after Nami for a few moments before turning her attention to the man left behind. Her amusement faltered as she caught him sending her an empty glare, Kid still recovering from the unexpected hit to do anything more.

"You would be wise to tread with caution where she's concerned, Eustass-san," she said lowly, earning a quirked brow from him.

"That s'posed to be a threat, lady?" He growled through heavy pants of air.

"No, just a word of advice. You don't know what Nami's been through, and if you did, you might actually understand why you're the last person she should be around. If you have any care for her at all, then you'll keep your distance." Robin warned and turned on her heel to walk out, no longer interested in reading in the café that day.

"I'll be the one to decide that," he said, his voice firm again, making her pause at the door to glance back curiously. "I'll do whatever the fuck I want, and I want to hang out with her. No one's gonna stop me. Got that?"

Robin frowned darkly, but turned her face away and pushed open the door. "Then you had better be prepared to make some changes, because as you are now, you'll only bring her pain. Good day, Eustass-san."

With that she walked out, letting the door shut with finality behind her, leaving the confused and now very thoughtful man behind to contemplate what she said.

Kid glared at the door, then with a sneer, turned to grab his coffee again and take off. He needed to clear his head.

As he got up, though, his eyes landed on the physics book he had tossed aside when she kicked him. A thoughtful frown tugged at his lips as he stared at it for a long moment.

"Tsh, troublesome woman," he grunted.

He walked out of the shop a minute later. Coffee in one hand. A physics book in the other.

He had a bartender he needed to see.

* * *

**Kid is basically an awkward man-child who does not know how to flirt yet still tries. And yes, have I made his attempted course of study any more obvious with this chapter?**

**Keep the reviews coming!**


	5. Chapter 5

**This fic isn't even supposed to have a plot, and somehow I stumbled onto one. So plot development ahead. And flirting and bonding. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.**

* * *

_A Bad Day Gets... Worse?_

Two weeks into classes and she had already lost her physics book, and it was all Eustass Kid's fault.

She realized it the moment she set down her bag at home and began unloading the texts she had taken to the coffee shop that morning. She cursed far more than necessary, but the stream of vulgarities vented a fraction of the stress she had after her start to the day. Once she felt relatively calm, she immediately called up the coffee shop, only to curse up a storm again when they told her no one had found the errant textbook. After leaving her name and number for them to call in case it turned up, she stood glaring at the books she had left and trying desperately not to remember how expensive they were.

He had been right that one night- college could be a total rip off.

There was no way she was spending the money on another book, that was assuming there was even one left in the bookstores, but she had little choice because she needed that book to pass her class, and she needed to pass her class so other people would keep paying her tuition. That left only one crystal clear option in her mind of how she was going to get out of this dilemma.

_He_ was going to pay for it.

With interest for making her go through all the trouble, too.

The only problem was that it meant she needed to actually see him again, and after the strange wrestling match at the coffee shop, she was not inclined to seek him out. She'd rather stay as far away from him as possible after that, but she was stuck.

She tugged at her hair and let out a frustrated scream before her eyes landed on the clock hung on the wall. _Shit,_ she was going to be late for class on top of everything else.

Grabbing her notebook and bag, Nami ran out of her apartment, determined not to make her day any worse by being late to her first class that afternoon.

* * *

She had been late, of course. It had been utterly embarrassing trying to sneak into the small lab section only to have her professor notice and draw everyone's attention to her. After a stern few words about everyone needing to be on time, that this was her one and only warning, class moved on as she quelled her anxiety.

She hated when things didn't go smoothly, weren't entirely in her control, and her day just felt like it was spiraling away from her with every passing minute.

After the two hour lab, she had her physics lecture, only further reminding her of her poor lost textbook. That wasn't even the worst of it. The professor decided to surprise them with a small, ten point quiz covering the assigned reading for the week. The assigned reading she hadn't been able to complete because Kid stole her book and then proceed to be an ass and make her lose it. She was lucky she still passed the quiz, but it came with far more stress than she'd care to deal with.

Her final class was an elective to fulfill some requirements in history. She could finally breathe easily as she sat in the lecture. It wasn't her strongest subject, but when one of her closest friends happened to be a professor of archeology and anthropology, she knew she would be able to get all the help she needed in passing the class with ease.

By the time she got home early in the evening, Nami was just glad her day was done. Granted, she still had to mentally prepare herself to somehow get in touch with Kid about replacing her book, and screaming at him endlessly for being an ass while she was at it, but she'd worry about that in the morning.

She was just heading up the stairs outside her complex when her cell phone rang, and as she pulled it out to see who it was, she stared in confusion at the unfamiliar number.

"Hello?" She answered uncertainly halfway up the flight.

"Hey, Kitten," a deep voice rumbled over the line, and Nami froze on the step in surprise.

"Kid?"

"Yup, unless ya got some other guy callin' ya Kitten?" There was a note of annoyance in his voice at the end of his question that Nami felt best to ignore, focusing on the roiling temper inside of her.

"What the hell do you want!?" She yelled into her phone. "Or better yet, how the hell did you get my number, you creep!?"

"Tsh, well damn, it's nice to talk to you, too," he growled sarcastically. "I got your fuckin' number from Shakky."

"Ugh, great," she heaved the loudest, most exhausted sigh she could muster as she continued to climb up the stairs. "Now, on top of getting a new physics book, I need to get a new cell phone. You keep making my day get _better_ and _better_."

"Ya know what, fuck you! I wouldn't have gone askin' her for your number without good reason, but if you're gonna be a bitch about it, then like hell I'm gonna deal with this shit!" He yelled loud enough that she had to hold her phone away from her ear.

She sighed again, just outside her entry, the sound a little softer as she let her head fall against the door. He had a point, as obnoxious as it was, it was still a good point. Over the last two weeks, he hadn't made any attempt to contact her until running into her that morning, so if he was going to some lengths now, he had to have a decent reason. She hoped he had a decent reason.

"Sorry, I've just had a really long afternoon of classes." She heard him grunt, and she was surprised he hadn't hung up on her after his last outburst.

"Yeah, whatever," he grumbled as she unlocked her door and stepped inside her apartment. She could hear him take a few deep breaths, likely calming whatever was left of his temper again.

"So, why are you calling?" She asked, setting down her backpack on her dinette table and heading to the kitchen to see what she had to make for dinner. She opened the refrigerator and glowered at the reminder of what she woke up to that morning.

"It's about that physics book," he grunted, piquing her attention as she stood in front of her still empty refrigerator. "Ya left it behind this morning. I grabbed it, so if ya want to meet up later, I can get it back to you."

She blinked, her mind trying to process the fact that Kid had her textbook, that Kid was willing to give her back her textbook, that Kid had even been thoughtful enough not to leave it there, and then proceeded to find a way to get in touch with her about it. Some part of her was screaming that there had to be a catch, that he couldn't really mean to give it back so easily, but another part of her was telling her that she could trust him. Again, he was an asshole, but he was an asshole she knew.

"Oi, Nami? You still breathin' over there?" Kid broke into her thoughts.

She shook her head, forcing herself to focus on the conversation again. "Yeah, can you meet me tonight?"

"I'm free."

"Then how about Shakky's in twenty minutes?" She suggested, slamming the door to her fridge as she turned toward her bedroom.

"Sounds good to me. I'll see ya then, Kitten."

She hung up without saying anything in return as she went to her closet to change.

* * *

"Did he call you?" Shakky asked the second she sat down at the bar.

"Yeah," she sighed, resting her helmet on the counter beside her. "He's meeting me here to return my book."

"Good. You know I wouldn't have given him your number without reason." The older woman said as she leaned forward, cigarette perched between two fingers. "I did offer to call you myself, or have him leave the book with me, but he was being stubborn."

"How am I not surprised?" Nami rolled her eyes. With a small wave of her hand, she dismissed whatever nagging paranoid thoughts she had about Kid, and moved to take off her leather jacket. The night had gotten chilly, so she changed into a thin green sweater and jeans. The clothes might have also been meant to deter Kid from making any unwanted remarks, though she doubted they would actually help.

"Luffy raided my fridge last night," she changed the subject with another heavy sigh.

Shakky laughed knowingly and stood, resting her cigarette in her ashtray. "The usual club, then?"

"Yes, please," Nami beamed. "A beer, too."

"I'll have it right out," she nodded, then Nami caught her glance toward the door, her expression guarded, and Nami knew who had just arrived by the extra nod she sent in that direction before disappearing into the back.

She looked up just as he reached her, frowning warily as he slid onto the stool to her right, and tossed her textbook onto the counter.

"Yo," he grunted.

"Thanks," she said, reaching for her book. She glared as it was pushed out of her reach, a grin sent back in answer. "What are you doing?"

"We're hangin' out. I'll give ya back the book when you leave." His smile widened when she narrowed her eyes more.

"Are you a child, Kid?" She asked flatly, only further amusing him as he chuckled.

"Just humor me. Ya said you had a hard day at class?" He asked, just as Shakky brought her order, sliding Kid a pint of dark ale before he even had a chance to order it. He sent a short nod of his head in thanks to the woman and took a sip, glancing sidelong at Nami awaiting her answer.

"It wouldn't have been that bad, except I was late to my lab," she huffed, reaching for a chip on her plate to munch on. She gave up. He wasn't about to leave, and she couldn't possibly force him to. He was nice enough to return her book, even if he was holding it hostage in the meantime, and she had said that she could try being friends with him. "Then I had physics," she sent him a hard look, "where my professor decided to surprise us with a quiz that I wasn't entirely prepared for since I couldn't finish my reading this morning."

Kid, to his credit, had the sense to frown and look away, a hint of guilt in his expression that he easily masked as he grunted. "How ya do on that?"

"Luckily I passed, but it gave me a headache from all the stress," she sighed, taking a drink of her beer. "At least my last class was just a simple lecture."

"Hm." He sipped at his beer again.

"Oh, and of course my whole day started out bad, even before you came along," she went on venting. "I woke up to an empty fridge thanks to one of my idiot friends."

Kid snorted in amusement, ignoring the shot at his presence ruining her day earlier. He must be getting used to the negative sentiments.

"Sounds like you need to unwind, Kitten." He mused, and Nami knew what he was hinting at, that she should just accept his presence and spend some time with him tonight like he wanted.

"Fine," she groaned, shooting him a short look of warning. "A few hours, but then I'm going home. You just have to promise to be on your best behavior."

"Love the enthusiasm," he grinned victoriously, spinning in his stool to face her as he leaned his side against the bar, a boot stretching out to rest on the bottom rung of her chair. "I'll be good, though. Just for you."

"Charming," she rolled her eyes again, brushing him off as she dug into her meal. "Since you're being nice," she began after swallowing a bite of her sandwich, "will you tell me what you went to college for?"

"No," he said flatly, his grin falling away instantly.

"Why not?" She huffed. "You stole my physics book and wouldn't give it back because you insisted on reading it yourself, and you even said you understood it all. Then there's all that technical talk when looking at my bike. I'm just curious to know about it." She finished with a small pout, hoping maybe he'll appease her this once. "You owe me after making me nearly fail a quiz."

Kid growled low in his throat, glancing away to chug his beer, finishing off the glass. She waited patiently, focusing on her dinner again, but in the end he leaned in closer to speak lowly, not so subtly stealing one of her chips and ignoring her annoyed expression. "Engineering and physics, focused on properties of magnetism and robotics." She glanced his way with a quirked brow, encouraging him to go on. "I didn't grow up in the best of places. Hated school, full of losers who didn't know shit, and told me I didn't, either. Planned to fucking prove them wrong, got a scholarship and everything, then I got to college and it was more of the same. Classes were boring so I didn't go most of the time. I already knew everything they were teaching me. Waste of my fucking time. I still got good marks, so they couldn't kick me out for that."

"So what happened?" She asked quietly, her head cocked to the side. He glanced at her, but her expression was full of innocent sincerity and lacking any judgment he might have expected. She could see why he had issues with his pride and ego, even if this was just a condensed version of his life story, he obviously had it rough.

"Got into a lot fights. Punched a professor who tried to flunk me on a paper for no fucking reason. Administration had enough, expelled me right then and there, taking away any chance of me getting a scholarship elsewhere." He shrugged. "Haven't looked back since."

She was speechless. All she could do was sit there and stare at him thoughtfully as he turned to take a new pint of ale from Shakky. His temper and patience obviously worked against him with his education. Not only that, but he was certainly more intelligent than anyone gave him credit for, he had to be if he could get a scholarship. She could understand the boredom with school, especially if he was ahead of everyone but held back to a lower level. If he grew up that way, he was sure to have anger and resentment issues against the people involved.

Didn't excuse him from punching a professor, though.

After a minute, she hummed and turned her attention to finishing off her sandwich. He didn't seem to care that she didn't have more of a response, seemed content that she didn't ask more questions or attempt to lecture him about his behavior.

"So what about you?" He grunted after a few minutes of silence and another beer finished. She glanced at him, confusion etched in her expression as she nibbled on another chip. "That study abroad program, on a research team; that kind of stuff's usually for grad students. Thought you were only working on your first degree, but you gotta be further along than that. You got an accelerated program or something?"

Her back stiffened slightly at the question that unknowingly struck in territory she wasn't keen on talking about. He hummed, his gaze scrutinizing her as she flit her eyes to the back of the bar. He noticed the strange behavior, but waited for her to get her story together.

"Like you, I was already ahead of everyone around me," she began, pursing her lips for a moment as she tried to ignore certain memories. "No one held me back, though, and when I was ten, someone came along who wanted to take advantage of what I could do. He didn't let anyone hold me back, and made sure I was in college courses by the time I was fourteen."

Kid let out a dry laugh as he turned back to his beer. "Rich benefactor. Of course."

She swallowed, deciding to let him think whatever he would. That man had _not_ been a benefactor, and he might have been rich, but it was at the expense of a lot of innocent people.

Carefully schooling her expression, she hid the pain she knew she couldn't mask in her eyes by angling her head away, her long hair veiling her face. She could feel him watching her again, but she didn't dare look. She didn't need him questioning her.

"Come on." He stood suddenly, forcing her to finally look at him questioningly as he pointed at her plate. "You done eating?" She nodded, then yelped as he grabbed her arm and hauled her off the barstool. "Then let's play a few racks."

She barely managed to grab her helmet and jacket before Kid could drag her away. As inclined as she was to yell at him about making decisions on his own, she could use the distraction. She saw Shakky grab her textbook and a fresh beer for her, following after them to Kid's usual table by the billiards.

"Don't forget the whole reason you two are here, Eustass-chan," she lectured, smacking the man on the back of the head with the book once he released Nami.

He sent her a half-hearted growl, but snatched the textbook and handed it over to Nami. "You're not getting out of this, but I ain't gonna be responsible if you forget that again."

Nami stuck her tongue out at him, then beamed as she turned to take her fresh drink from Shakky. "Thanks, Shakky-chan."

"You two play nice tonight, or I'll revoke your discounts," she pointed in warning, apparently in no mood for any theatrics that slow weeknight. Both Nami and Kid frowned at the threat, Nami's more a pout than anything, but silently agreed so they wouldn't risk her ire.

They didn't want to pay full price at a bar named _Rip-off._

For the next few hours, they managed to keep their promise and keep their arguments to a minimum. Even when Nami helped Kid miss a shot by nudging at the back of his knee with her cue, he managed to restrain himself to a growl of annoyance. And when he swatted at her backside in retaliation as she walked by to line up her cue, she only sent him an icy glare before sinking her next shot. Her haughty smile amused him enough to get a chuckle, and whatever annoyance had passed between them a minute before had vanished.

"So, the arm?" She asked as they sat at the high top table, finishing off a pitcher of ale before playing one last game.

Kid quirked his brow, a hint of a smirk tugging up the corner of his mouth, as he sipped his pint. "You're just full of questions tonight, Kitten." He chuckled at her indifferent shrug. "Got T-boned at an intersection. Couple months after you left, actually. Arm got pinned in the door, then the dick who hit me's car blew up." He paused at her gasp, his expression turning guarded for a moment. "Docs saved it, but it was pretty mangled, and the nerve damage was unbearable. Couldn't get my fingers to move right, and it hurt all the fucking time. Told 'em to cut it off, or I'd do it myself."

She didn't hold back her look of disgust, and Kid laughed again.

"Cuttin' it off actually made it worse. Fucking phantom limb shit. Could've sworn someone was stabbin' my forearm or hand at random times. So I worked with the docs and some old college buds in developing this little baby." He raised his cybernetic arm, and Nami openly gawked at the knowledge.

"Wait, you helped design that?" She asked incredulously, watching as he smirked cockily and rolled up the sleeve of his maroon hoodie to let her take a closer look.

Again, she could see the metal rod in the forearm, right about where the ulna would be, but the rest of the arm looked as if it were made of skin and muscle. There was a metal cap at the elbow that was blended with the synthetic tissue, and a few more at the wrist joint. She had seen the metal collar at his shoulder at his house the other day, so he didn't need to show her that, but she was curious how much it showed with the full design of the arm.

"Impressed, Kitten?" He crooned, holding his arm across the table so it sat in front of her. "You can touch it if ya want."

She glanced up at him, then back at the arm, watching as he held his hand with the palm up, fingers wriggling temptingly. The movement was so lifelike, and she had to admit, she _was_ impressed that he would have any part in its design. This was something she knew was possible, her friend Franky designed prosthetics of the same quality for a living, but still she felt somewhat awed.

Tentatively, she reached out to run her fingers over his palm, shrieking in surprise when he grasped her wrist without warning. She shot him a short glare as he chuckled, but he loosened his hold, merely letting his thumb and fingers gently run over her wrist and forearm, nudging his head to tell her to keep inspecting the limb.

"Can you feel that?" She asked, her curious tone quiet as she trailed her fingers over the ridges and folds where the hand folded, amazed by just how real the synthetic tissue felt. She already had an idea of it because of Franky, but she had never really thought to ask much about it.

Kid grunted, frowned thoughtfully then pushed his other arm across the table, beckoning for him to do the same to his outstretched hand. "I can," he paused, and she could tell he was trying to figure out how to explain it as she let her other hand run over his natural palm, allowing him to contrast the two sensations. "But it's different. Like…" he trailed off as the fingers of both hands curled to grab her wrists lightly again, his thumbs caressing her. She didn't try to pull away, despite the almost intimate nature of the touch, she was too curious to know how he would describe it. "I can feel pressure. I know I'm touch something, or that I'm being touched. I can feel enough to know if I'm using too much pressure," his grip tightened on the cybernetic hand a fraction, then released, "or not enough."

"With the other one, though," his hand moved back, trailing over hers as he grasped it, rolling his thumb and forefinger over her joints, and then trailing back to her wrist again. "I can feel details better. I can tell that your hand has a different texture from mine, from the table, from anything else. I can tell it's warm. The other one I can sense temperature differences, but it's not the same… There's a disconnect."

She hummed in understanding, her gaze returning to the hands she was still idly examining.

"At least it doesn't hurt like a bitch all the time," he chuckled, lightening the mood again as she stopped her curious touches. He grunted and slid his arms back to his side, she ignored the strange feeling of wanting to touch him again, instead cracking a smile and leaning her cheek in the palm of her hand.

"So tell me about how you helped design that," she prompted.

"Those guys I know from college, they work for some big name in the field. Guy called Cyborg Frank or somethin'."

"Franky?" Nami perked up, distracting him as he raised a brow. "Cyborg Franky?" He nodded and she smiled widely. "He's my friend! The guy who built my bike! I knew he had to be involved somehow with that arm."

"Wait, the dude that built your bike's the same that oversaw my arm?" He asked, laughing loudly when Nami nodded. "Well ain't that somethin'."

"He's been in the field for years, and started his research on himself after a really horrible accident. He's made some amazing prosthetics with lifelike attributes. Even the synthetic skin he developed feels real." She bragged for her friend. "Actually, he was with me that night when I tried to lift your wallet." She laughed again. "The guy with the blue hair hanging all over Robin."

"Hmpf," Kid snorted and took a sip of beer, pushing his fake arm back across the table as he did, much to her confusion. "Feel it again, Kitten," he prompted. She eyed him warily for a moment, then reached out and did as he asked. "That ain't synthetic skin." Her eyes went wide. "Well, not entirely. He showed the guys I know how to take the salvageable flesh from my old arm, combine it with synthetic fibers, and create a graft to cover the inner workings of the arm. If it starts breaking down, then I might have to go all synthetic in the future, but so far it's holding out as well as real skin, if not better."

"Wow," she breathed out, taking more time to feel the skin so that she could notice the texture. It was discolored compared to his other arm, similar to the scars on his face and neck, and felt rougher, too.

"Anyway, my part of the design's in the joints," he went on. She squeaked and try to flinch away when he suddenly tried to lace his fingers between hers. He sent her an annoyed look, grabbed her by the wrist with his other hand, and held her still while he did what he wanted, apparently trying to show her something. He bent and flexed his fingers between hers, the movement smooth, natural, and felt no different when he did the same with his other hand, her annoyance at the once again intimate gesture waning with her curiosity. "They all glide on magnets." He explained, drawing her gaze back up to him. "It's simple, but involves less strain. The circuitry signals the synthetic muscle to flex, that pulls on the metal skeleton, just like a normal body. Rather than using gears or connecting the frame work with pins that can give out easily, the magnets let it move just like a normal joint."

Endlessly interested at this point, Nami shook her hands free, but grasped his wrists, feeling over the different joints. He seemed to understand what she was after, and rotated both hands, letting her feel the similar motion.

"I just gotta be a careful not to let the joints dislocate. They're pretty damn secure, but I've had one slip out of place enough that it's annoying. It's why I didn't have it on that one morning- I take it off to sleep so I don't risk damaging it." He explained as she finally released him again.

"Smart. But wow, I'm impressed. Did you get to meet Franky, or did you just work with his staff?" Nami reached for her beer for another drink.

"Nah, just the guys I knew."

"Then I guess I really need to introduce you now," she laughed. "Even more to talk about than my bike."

"Whatever," he shrugged indifferently, looking away with a frown.

She could tell he felt uncomfortable by her suggestion, that he wasn't sure if he wanted to meet someone who had managed to reach a position he had once aspired to be in, or at least something similar. With a small hum, Nami jumped from her stool and chugged down the last of her beer, confusing Kid as he looked at her.

"Come on," she swatted at his arm playfully, "one more game."

Kid smirked again and stood, taking the distraction just like she had earlier. "Alright, Kitten, but no more cheatin'." She laughed, only to have it caught in her throat as he reached out suddenly and grabbed her around the waist, tugging her close as his lips found her ear. "Unless you liked it when I smacked your ass earlier."

Her eyes went wide, and she couldn't suppress the small shiver that raced through her with his low tone, and the way his breathe was fanning over her neck. It was just like two years ago all over again, and just like that night, she almost forgot what she was doing, too overwhelmed by the muffled groan he let slip when he noticed her body's reaction, and the way she could feel his chest rumble with the sound as her hands splayed over him.

It wasn't until she felt the teasing nip at her ear that she remembered herself again and gave him a hard shove. He let go with ease, chuckling at her face flush with anger, and something else she'd rather forget.

"Don't go gettin' mad at me now, Kitten. We've been gettin' along so well tonight, too."

She narrowed her eyes at him, then pointed at him. "Your only warning, Kid, and I'm only being gracious enough to overlook it because you _have_ been mostly well behaved tonight."

He grinned widely and took a step closer, only for her to take a step back, searching for the personal space she desperately needed now. He stayed where he was, mirth in his eyes, and leaned down so his face was level with hers, his tongue darting out to lick over a canine and his lips teasingly. "Yep, still cute when you're in denial, but that's alright, you're warmin' up to me."

"Hmpf," she huffed and twirled away, smirking when she felt her long hair smack him in the face as she stomped toward the pool table. "Are we playing, or what?"

She grabbed the rack, waiting for him to answer as she set up, and when he didn't, she glanced back to see him staring at her. His eyes were hard, a little distant, and there was a flash of something both terrifying and thrilling, a heat that was put out when he blinked and straightened his shoulders.

"Yeah, let's play, then you gotta get home and hit the books." She looked bemused at the strange remark, but he gave her a lopsided grin as he grabbed his cue. "Like hell I'm lettin' ya blame me for havin' a bad day again."

Relaxing, she brushed off whatever sensations lingered from the look he had in his gaze, and stepped away from the table, gesturing for him to break. "Then hurry up and get this going so I can finally get away from you."

"Well aren't you rude," he chuckled, stepping forward. "But I'm gettin' pretty sick of hangin' around ya, too."

She knew he was joking. There was no way he actually wanted the night to end, not with the way he was staring at her. Still, she pouted and feigned mock hurt, only further amusing him as he sent the cue ball crashing into the billiards. It was followed by the faintest groan, his gaze sliding back to her, glued to her lips, and words muttered that she wasn't meant to hear.

"Fuck… drivin' me nuts, woman."

* * *

An hour later, Nami was heading back to her bike, Kid a step behind her. Neither of them spoke, which only made Nami feel strangely anxious and fidgety.

This was weird. She didn't know why, but it was weird. There was something different in the air between them, something she did not want to understand at all. They had just spent the last few hours together not only being civil, but actually friendly… more friendly than they should have been.

But she could control this. She could absolutely control this. She would not let it continue like that.

"You good to get home?" Kid grunted at her bike, standing back to lean against his SUV parked next to her.

"Yep," she chirped, keeping her back to him as she opened her storage compartment to toss her textbook in, then twisted her hair up and slipped her helmet on. For some reason, she felt a lot safer with that in place.

"Alright." He pushed off his car and turned to get in, but first reached out to pat her helmet a few times. "Ya got my number now. Call me if ya want to do this again sometime. I'm sure Killer and the guys' would like to hang out with you more, too."

The mention of spending time with him, with his friends present, set her more at ease. Even if they were his group, his territory, she felt more comfortable with more people around them. It might help dissuade them from going in the direction she was trying to avoid.

"Yeah, sure. That sounds good to me." She smiled, the only evidence of it the crinkling of her eyes until she slipped her visor down. "I'll see ya around, Kid."

Another few pats, and Kid moved to climb into his car. "Night, Kitten."

She breathed a sigh of relief once his door was closed, and slipped onto her bike, backing out ahead of him. As she sped away, she pushed out every touch, every feeling, every annoying curiosity he invoked in her that night.

They were _just friends_.

* * *

**All your reviews keep me going, guys. Thanks! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, I would like to take a moment to reiterate that this relationship is not going to be healthy, and I am not going to sugarcoat Nami's, and even more so Kid's flaws and issues... Especially Kid's. Also, I would like to remind you all that Kid is a violent man. Just keep that in mind with this fic.**

**Also, while in this AU there aren't devil fruits, I am retaining the fishmen race, mainly because humanizing them made it more complicated than I cared, also it would have made the structure of Nami's history too similar to the LawNa AU I'm writing, and I want to avoid that. But her history with the Arlong is too important to leave out, especially when dealing with a relationship involving Kid, so I can't ignore it for the sake of simplicity, either.**

**But without further ado...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.**

* * *

_Bruised Knuckles and a Secret Past_

After a long, stressful week of class, Nami was excited for Friday night to finally come, especially when she had plans that, if all went well, will see that she ends the night with a lot of money. The only thing standing in her way was the fact she had to go into dangerous territory to get it, but with her two escorts, she couldn't find a cause for concern.

"Nyuu. Are you sure it's alright I come along, Nami?" The man to her left asked with a worried frown. "I don't want to cause you any trouble."

Nami laughed and wrapped her arms around one of his, smiling up at the octopus fishman reassuringly. "Of course it's fine. I invited you for a reason, you know. No one will try to bring me any trouble with you and Zoro around, Hatchi."

"But I don't fight anymore," he frowned deeper.

"And you won't have to. That's what Zoro's for." She grinned, reaching to slap a hand on the green haired man's shoulder to her right, preventing him from straying down an alley. "You're just here to look scary and mean, but make sure that I can run away if something happens."

"Nami, I thought this was just some gambling hall you wanted to go to. What are you so worried about?" Zoro muttered, even as his eyes swept over the street; ever observant, ever on guard.

"Because this is on the edge of Big Mom's territory, and since Luffy went and pissed her off once, I'd rather play it safe in case some of her men were around." She explained. "And you know how people tend to act in poker tournaments with me."

"If you weren't so greedy, you wouldn't even take this risk," Zoro sighed heavily, turning as she pulled him into a dimly lit alleyway on the left. "Surprised you didn't bring Luffy."

"He'd bring too much attention."

"True enough, but Hatchi sucks at poker."

"Nyuu," the fishman hung his head. It was true, but it still stung to hear.

"He doesn't have to win. He's a distraction and bodyguard." She gave a tug on Hatchi's arm, pulling his attention back to her as she smiled. "And don't worry, I'll share my winnings with you."

"You don't have to do that, Nami!" He began waving his five free arms. "I'm just happy to help you."

"Don't be silly. You're my friend. You can use it to get that new grill for your takoyaki stand." She waved him off as they reached a heavy, metal framed door.

"Why does he get money, and I don't?" Zoro glared at her. "I'm the one who's gonna do the fighting if it comes down to it."

"You owe me money, that's why. You're paying off your debts to me." She said shortly, smacking him upside the head when he cursed at her under his breath. "Stop complaining or I'll take whatever you win for yourself, too."

"Damn it," he growled, opening the door to head inside. "Greedy witch."

As she walked ahead, she turned to stick her tongue out at him, not bothered by the surly glare he sent her way. Not aware of her surroundings, though, she was startled when she suddenly ran into an outstretched leg barring her way.

"Oi, thieves aren't allowed here," an all too familiar voice came from her left. She glowered as she looked at the crimson haired man standing against the wall, her eyes narrowing when she noticed the arrogant smirk on his face.

"You work here?" She asked, her brow quirking up when she noticed the small office beside him. She spotted another guy in there, sitting in front of a few monitors, watching the entrance and other areas of the not so legal gambling establishment.

"I do. Surprised?" His smile grew, obviously reveling in her annoyance.

She bit her tongue before she said what she was thinking, that she was surprised he could keep any job, instead she huffed and smacked at his leg. "Whatever. I don't need to rely on pick-pocketing to take people's money in a poker tournament."

His leg didn't budge, he even shifted on the wall, lowering himself as he leaned forward to grin right in her face. "So you're here for the poker, eh? Ya might not steal anyone's wallet, but you're still a thief, which means you're probably prepared to cheat."

"I definitely don't need to cheat to beat a bunch of thugs at cards, Kid," she glared.

"Oh? Then ya don't mind if I search ya, do you? Make sure you're not hiding any cards or anything?" He chuckled, his eyes racking over her red hoodie and jeans. She had to force herself not to shiver at the intensity of his gaze.

"Listen, buddy, Nami may be a greedy witch, but she doesn't cheat," Zoro spoke up beside her, and Nami felt her posture straighten haughtily with the reminder of who she had to come to her defense. Zoro stepped closer to her side, and Kid's eyes shot to him, all humor gone as he stared blankly at the man. Hatchi shifted, too, his six arms crossing over his chest after adjusting his black bandana, ensuring his sun tattoo was hidden on his forehead, and Kid spared him a quick glance before settling back on Zoro.

There was something in the way he was looking at Zoro that Nami didn't like. An unspoken threat. She didn't need to look at Zoro to know that his own good eye was set in a glare, defiant and unafraid of the larger man. As confident as she was with Zoro there, she could feel the tension rising in the hallway, and with a quick sweep of Kid's frame, she spotted the gun he had two years ago, once again holstered beneath a black vest over his blue shirt. He hadn't had that the last few times she saw him, but she imagined he mainly wore it to work, when he might have reason to use it against any of the criminals who ran rampant in that district.

She let out an exasperated sigh, breaking into the men's silent posturing as she pointedly reached for the zipper on her hoodie. That immediately got Kid's attention, his eyes narrowing onto her hands as she began to tug it down.

"This is stupid, Kid," she said, once her hoodie was completely open and she slipped it off. She spared him a glance to see his eyes widen at what she had on beneath. He schooled his expression quickly enough, though, only a trace of heat in his gaze left as evidence of what his opinion of her top was. "If you really think I'm hiding anything, please tell me where I might keep it."

Zoro snorted as she spun around, his posture relaxing as she took a risk to prove that she had nothing to hide. Her black chiffon top hugged her breasts, much of her bust exposed by the fabric as it cut low over her cleavage. The top had thin straps, showing off her shoulders and tattoo, and endless amounts of skin. The shirt stopped just before her waist, not even to her belly button, and putting on display her trim abdomen and wide hips with her low cut jeans. The top itself was little more than a bra with how much it showed off, and judging by the way Kid's eyes had a hard time staying on her face, it was the right shirt to wear for the poker tournament.

You don't need to bluff if your opponent can't even concentrate on what you're doing.

"So? Can we go in?" She asked sweetly, finally distracting the man from whatever thoughts were plaguing him, his eyes snapping back up to hers with a grunt. She smiled devilishly and placed a hand on a cocked hip as she waited.

He finally barked a loud laugh, realization dawning on him as he leaned back and let his leg drop from the wall across from him. "Kitten, if you're hiding anything in that top, then I'd applaud you for managing it. Still wouldn't mind searchin' ya, though, but for a whole other reason."

She glared and rolled her eyes, knowing very well what he wanted, but chose to ignore him in favor of heading into the gambling hall.

"Oi! I'll still be keepin' an eye on ya, Nami! So don't go gettin' tempted to pull what ya did with me while you're in there!"

She glanced back at his warning, and she could tell by the way he glared that he wasn't worried about her stealing, it was what she did in order to lift a wallet that he didn't like. Suddenly nervous, she reached out to hook her arms with the two men flanking her, and she didn't miss the way Kid's eyes narrowed in further annoyance before she let out a huff and turned her attention away.

She was starting to question if coming there was really such a good idea.

"I don't like that guy," Zoro muttered as they entered the casino.

"He's not someone you need to worry about," Nami sighed with a roll of her eyes. "Actually, it might be a good thing he's here. He's an ass, but he'll keep anyone from causing trouble for me."

Zoro sent her a look that clearly said he wasn't worried about Kid being on their side or not, but Nami refused to acknowledge it. He didn't voice any more of his opinion, he'd already had his chance after finding out she stayed the night at Kid's shortly after returning to town.

"Anyway," she huffed, "I'll be paying your entry fees. So, Zoro, just win enough to pay that back, and we'll call it even. Hatchi," she glanced at the fishman beside her with a smile, "just have fun."

After signing into the ongoing tournament, the trio split off to different tables, ensuring they had a better chance of making as much money as they could. As much as it was Hatchi's job to keep an eye on her, Nami kept a close watch on him, frowning when he'd sweat nervously after attempting to bluff, and laughing when he danced around when he'd win a hand. He was a good distraction, threw a lot of the players off with his behavior, but he could never seem to hold a poker face for long.

He was too kind hearted for it.

Zoro, on the other hand, looked bored most of the time. It was the only thing other players could read off of him, but they didn't know him like she did. They didn't notice the slight tick of his jaw when he got the card he needed, or the way he pursed his lips and ran his tongue over a canine when he was behind in the draw. Even if they did notice, it didn't matter, a hard, one-eyed glare made them too nervous to question any tell he had.

Then there was the way she played. She rarely bluffed, she didn't need to when she spent most of her time chatting sweetly with the other players, barely giving her cards a second thought after a glance. She acted as if she were playing on a whim, without a care if she won or lost, tossing chips out seemingly at random. In reality she was calculating every odd, examining every reaction, and charming everyone into forgetting their own strategies and just throwing money into a growing pot that she inevitably won. Her attire and bubbly attitude kept the men from noticing any subconscious tell she might have. The women at her table were won over with kind words, or a sense of 'being on the same side' when playing with men who always underestimated and belittled them. The girls became her unwitting allies, her newest friends, and gave her their trust.

She did actually feel bad when they lost, but for their part, she always tossed a few chips their way to make up for it.

Poker was her game. She was a thief who could steal honestly with a few cards in her hand. Manipulation and statistics were skills she mastered to survive, and poker catered to them perfectly.

The only trouble came from the inevitable sore loser.

"You're a filthy cheater!" A man hollered as he tossed his cards on the table, standing to tower over her with an enraged finger pointed her way. The room went still as she sat there calmly collecting the pot. He was cleaned out, not a single chip left to even tip his waitress with, and obviously he did not take it well.

"Sir," the dealer attempted to calm the situation. "Do you have proof of your accusation?"

"She distracted me! Those clothes and flighty attitude! She's just conning us into handing her our money!" He yelled again.

Nami snorted, but refrained from commenting, allowing a woman with pink hair at another table to come to her defense, a woman named Bonney she had befriended while getting a drink at the bar during a break.

"Hah! Last I checked, that ain't against the rules, dick-bag! Hell, pretty sure that's the whole point of the game! Just 'cause ya suck at it, don't mean she's a cheater!" The woman laughed, pounding a foot on the table as she sat back. Nami glanced her way, catching a wink as Bonney stuffed a slice of pizza in her mouth.

"Stay out of this, bitch! This is between me and this cheating whore!"

"What did ya just say?" Bonney growled, her foot dropping from the table as she leaned forward, a dangerous look in her eyes.

Nami caught movement at another table, spotting Zoro standing as well, ready to come to Nami's defense in case things got uglier. Hatchi had lost all his money early on and was standing at the wall observing, but the fishman began to move closer to Nami, hands balled into fists with his arms crossed in front of him. He was making himself look as big and intimidating as possible, an imposing shadow hovering over Nami to deter any violence.

In the end, they didn't need to do a thing as a crimson haired man was suddenly hovering at the player's back, face set in barely contained rage. Without warning, the man's neck was clamped in a strong grip, fingers digging into his flesh painfully as he was lifted off the ground.

"Watch your mouth and learn some fucking manners, jerk," Kid practically snarled. "The chick's been playing honestly the whole damn time. Trust me, I haven't taken my eyes off her all night."

Nami had gone wide eyed at the sight of Kid coming to her defense so quickly, and out of no where, watching as her accuser coughed and pried at the fingers crushing his windpipe. She glanced at Kid's eyes at his last remark, but he wasn't looking at her then, his whole attention on dealing with the man insulting her.

"I'll deal with this loser," he said, his voice low and calm, belying the temper he held. He looked toward the dealer and manager overseeing the tournament, then sent a short glance her way as he turned to drag the man out. "Keep playing."

As he walked out, his captive still struggling in his hold, the unbearable tension that had filled the room a moment before, suddenly rushed out with an inaudible sigh of relief. Slowly conversations began again, dealers restarted their hands, and Nami's few allies forced themselves to relax, brushing off the interruption.

Nami, though, she was still oddly shaken. Not because of the creep who called her a cheater and a whore. She'd been called that enough times in her life, she didn't bat an eye at guys like him. No, Kid had gotten under skin within the matter of a minute. She hadn't expected him to come in like that, even if she knew that he'd likely take her side in a fight. There wasn't a fight, though, just some drunk ass who couldn't stand to lose to a woman like her.

Kid looked like he had been the one who was insulted, not Nami. She wanted to know what had been going through his mind to react like that, all because of a few words thrown her way. But deep down she knew what he was thinking…

She was _his._

* * *

Out in the alley, the heavy thud of a fist colliding with a face echoed in the night air, the sound barely muffled by the drunk revelers roaming the streets. Pained screams had turned into deep groans, a repentant sob, a plea for mercy.

He didn't stop there. He needed one more hit. Needed to feel the jaw bone shatter. Needed to see the eye swell and hemorrhage. Needed to feel the fingers wrapped around his wrist where he held him by the collar of his shirt, fall away, weak, unconscious. Blood stained his hand, none of it his own. There was even more on the man's face, soaking his shirt as it flowed from his mouth and the deep gashes from the beating.

He stopped short of killing the man. It took a lot of restraint, but he managed it.

He tossed the body out into the main street, on some curb, in a muddy puddle. Perfect place to find garbage like him in those back alley slums.

He spit on the man's face before turning back, a lingering growl hanging in the air to serve as warning for whatever consciousness lingered.

"Call my girl a whore again, and I'll kill you."

* * *

Nami had managed to calm herself down, focusing intently on the poker game. She forced herself to ignore Kid's presence when he returned to the room. It was difficult when she spotted the bruising on his knuckles, and she wondered what might have become of the man who had insulted her earlier. She played on, though, rapidly increasing her winnings with each passing hand.

After another hour, she felt completely at ease, and was back to flirting with her opponents to get them off their game. She could feel his eyes coldly boring into her, but she told herself it was a good thing in case someone raised a commotion again.

The tournament was open entry, people constantly buying in as the night wore on. It was useful because it allowed her an opportunity at larger wins, but there was one negative side- anyone could join in at any time.

"Psst, Nami," she heard Hatchi trying to get her attention near midnight. She was in the middle of a hand, but spared a look back at him. He was waving, pointing toward the entry desk and two fishmen standing there. Her eyes went wide and face drained of all color. She had no idea who they were, but she recognized a frighteningly familiar tattoo on the arm of one of them.

She'd had it on her shoulder at one time, there was no forgetting that ugly mark.

She shot her head back to her hand, willing it to end quickly. She didn't care about winning this time, she just needed to get out of there.

"I'm calling it a night," she heard Zoro telling his table. He saw Hatchi's signal and wasn't wasting any time.

"I'm out," Nami said the second she saw she wouldn't win the hand, not without a lot of charm and manipulation, tactics she no longer had the time for. "Thanks for the fun, guys."

She hauled herself out of her chair, forcing her hands not to shake as she grabbed her winnings and headed for her two friends. She could still feel Kid watching her, but she didn't dare look.

He didn't need to see the fear in her eyes.

She slipped her hoodie back on, Zoro helping pull the hood over her head as she got settled. His hand stayed firm on her head as he tucked her against his side, hiding her with his larger frame as they walked toward the door. Hatchi adjusted his bandana again, tucked his extra arms into his own jacket, and kept his head down before he was recognized. The fishman kept close to her other side, boxing her in, protecting her. He seemed to know these men, and wasn't taking a chance at either of them being seen.

Kid was waiting at the door leading to the main area of the underground casino. She finally spared him a glance, and immediately looked away.

There was confusion in his eyes, a hint of worry, and a restrained anger as he glanced between her and the newcomers she seemed to be avoiding. He didn't ask any questions, he seemed to know better than to get in her way then.

He stepped aside, letting them pass without a word, and immediately slipped back in front of the door. She peeked over her shoulder to see his back, large and imposing as ever, a stalwart guard allowing her to escape whatever threat had left her shaken. A tilt of the head, and his eyes were sliding back to her again, narrowing sharply, with a deep set frown that told her he'd be asking a lot of questions she didn't want to answer the next time she saw him.

* * *

They decided to go to Shakky's afterward. Nami had a lot of questions for Hatchi, foremost being just who those men were, and she desperately needed a drink in a safe place to calm her nerves.

"There's a new gang forming, using Arlong's name and mark," he explained quietly at their table near the bar, his hands nervously fiddling with a mug of beer.

Shakky cleared out the bar the second they showed up and she noticed how shaken Nami looked, as if she had just seen a ghost. She knew the last thing they needed was an audience.

"Their leader had idolized him, and holds a grudge against you guys for bringing us down in the past. I've managed to keep him from finding out anything on all of you, especially you, Nami. So as long as you avoid them, you should be safe." He tried to reassure, but Nami still felt uneasy, and she knew Zoro certainly wasn't happy about this new information.

"Luffy's gonna need to hear about this," Zoro commented, taking a chug of his sake.

"And do what, exactly? Nothing's happened." Nami didn't know what her friend would do if he found out there might be a new threat out there, especially one related to her. She didn't need him running off to fight without a reason.

"Doesn't matter if nothing's happened, he'll still want to know so he can be prepared in case something _does_ happen." The mossy haired man said flatly, brooking no argument from her.

She knew she couldn't stop him from mentioning the sighting to Luffy, and some part of her felt oddly better about him knowing, but she didn't want him getting into trouble again. So much had happened for all of them over the last two years, she just wanted to live her life as peacefully as possible.

The trio sank into a terse silence as they drank, all of them focused on their own thoughts. They didn't pay any mind to front door opening, assuming Shakky would shoo off whatever patron ignored the closed sign hanging in the window. She didn't, though, and Nami's back went rigid at his hard voice.

"Oi, Kitten, we need to talk." Nami's head snapped around to stare at Kid standing just inside the door, frowning darkly at her. He had a bruise under his left eye that wasn't there when she left the casino, the sight leaving a bad taste in her mouth as he glanced at her companions, then back to her, nudging his head toward the door. "Now."

She began to stand up, but Zoro grabbed her wrist to stop her. He was glaring hard at Kid, the red head returning the look, and then his gaze went to her, silently asking her if she was sure.

"It's fine, Zoro. I'll be right back," she tried to smile reassuringly as she shook off his hold. She glanced over at Kid once she stepped away from the table and saw his expression relax before he turned to lead her out to the parking lot.

Neither said a word until the door was shut behind her and she couldn't stand the oppressive silence around her. "How'd you know I'd be here?"

"Hunch," he grunted, moving to lean against the wall beside the door. "So? Mind telling me who those guys were?"

"No one," she answered quickly.

"Bullshit, Nami. They scared the crap outta ya back there. If they were no one, you wouldn't have run off without winning that hand, and ya definitely wouldn't have looked like the devil himself was on your heels."

"They're no one important. Just some wanna-be thugs." She looked away, refusing to meet his accusatory gaze.

"Ya got history with 'em?"

"Not with them personally," she answered, hoping a more honest answer might appease him enough to end the conversation.

"Who then?" He pressed on, standing straight in an attempt to use his size to intimidate her into answering.

She shot him a hard glare, defiant and stubborn. She would not discuss that part of her history with him.

"Fucking hell, woman, it's just one question."

"It's none of your business, Kid."

"It is if they terrified you like that." He said lowly.

"It's all in the past. They don't even know me, so they shouldn't be a problem as long as I avoid them." She argued.

"Obviously you can't avoid them completely. Tell me what they did to you, and I'll make sure they never do it again."

"They never did anything to me! I told you, they're just some idiots using another man's symbol to cause trouble, they have no connection to me, otherwise."

"Who's the other man?" Kid growled, impatient with her avoidance. "And what the fuck did he do to you?"

She shrank away, bowing her head to hide her pained expression. She didn't want to think about that. Didn't want to think of that man and the things that happened in her childhood. She didn't want to talk about it, especially not with a man like him.

Her teeth found their way to her lip, tugging and pulling on it to distract her from her darkening thoughts. She heard Kid sigh heavily, his feet shuffling against the concrete, then a warm hand was covering her head as he drew her against his chest. She blinked, every tormented memory flying out of her mind as her forehead pressed to his sternum and she could hear his every breath and the annoyed growl he let slip a moment later.

"Fine. Ya don't have to tell me. I'll still keep those jerks from touchin' ya, though." He said, forcing his voice to be as calm as possible, despite the anger she knew he must have been feeling.

Nami took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she allowed herself one moment with him. She kept her hands balled in front of her until the way his fingers were slipping casually through her hair relaxed her enough to lean into him more. He grunted when her weight pressed into him, his hand rubbing her scalp more in response; silent comfort she never expect to receive from him. His other hand was stuffed into his pocket, harmless and innocent; Kid either aware of minding the boundaries she wanted, or too uncomfortable with the kind gesture to do anything more. Either way, she was grateful, and greedily took it in, despite the nagging reminders that she was supposed to be pushing him away.

"Where did you get the black eye?" She asked quietly.

His hand stilled for a moment, then went back to mindlessly running through her hair as he answered. "Those two fishmen started a brawl not long after ya left. Not the only injury they gave me," he shifted, his hand coming out of his pocket so he could lift his shirt enough for her to see the bandages on the left side of his abdomen hiding a wound there.

She frowned, unsurprised to hear that, and glad she had gotten out of there when she did, but unhappy seeing what they did to Kid.

"The guy earlier," she began, taking one last deep breath as she pulled away, putting some much needed distance between them again. She ignored how much she missed the warm touch on her head. "What happened to him?"

"I beat the _fucking_ _shit_ out of him."

She shot her gaze up to him, seeing his serious expression. He wasn't kidding, or exaggerating.

"Why?" She sighed, slumping her shoulders as she gave him an irritated look. "All you had to do was kick him out."

"He called you a cheating whore. You really think I'm gonna stand to see some prick talk to you like that?" He narrowed his eyes on her. In his mind, his actions were perfectly justifiable.

"It was just a stupid insult from a sore loser. He didn't do anything to warrant a beating, Kid. And why do you even care who says or does what to me!?"

"He needed to learn his fucking place, and I made sure he got that lesson loud and clear. You're my girl, and no one messes with you while I'm around."

"But I'm not your girl!" Nami felt her temper snap, his words from two years ago ringing in her head. She had overlooked him calling her _his girl_ when they were drinking a few weeks before, brushing it off as drunk ramblings, but he was perfectly sober making that claim again. "I thought I made that clear to you!"

"Ya did, but that doesn't change a damn thing to me. You're a person I like, Nami. You're a part of my crew, even if ya don't think you are. That ass could have insulted Killer or any of the other guys like that, and I would have beat the shit out of him all the same. Anyone who insults one of my people, insults me, and I deal with them how I want. The fact I want to fuck the living daylights out of you doesn't change that outcome."

Nami felt her face heat up with his blunt response. She wasn't sure if it was anger over the possessive attitude, or embarrassment at the last remark he left off with, but it all left her speechless. She believed him when he said that whatever other interests he had in her didn't play a part in how he reacted to the man at the casino, at least not entirely.

She covered her face, trying to hide her flustered reaction with an exasperated sigh. "Kid, you cannot just beat up everyone who insults me."

"Tough, I don't like hearing shit like that aimed at you."

"Yet you call me a bitch all the time," she glowered at him through her fingers.

He snorted and gave her a cocky smirk. "I don't mean it as an insult, though. 'Least not most of the time."

"How do you-?" She began to ask, but as his smile grew, she shook her head. "Wait, don't answer that. I don't want to know." With one last heavy sigh, she let her hands fall from her face as she glanced back at the door. She sent him a wary, reserved look. "Do you want to come in for a drink with us?"

"Nah. I don't like the way your friend's been lookin' at me."

"He doesn't like me spending time with you," she nodded.

"Figured. It's whatever. I can respect that, but doubt you'd like it if I ended up punching him in the face for it. Better if I head home." He shrugged indifferently before he grinned at her. "I'd rather hang out with you alone, anyway."

"No," she said flatly, gaining an amused snort from him.

"Back to pushing me away, huh? Thought ya had fun with me that other night? I didn't even try anything funny… 'cept for the spanking thing." His grin only got wider as he spoke and she frowned darkly at him. "Come out with me and the guys tomorrow night."

"Can't," she shrugged, "I have plans with Robin."

"Ditch her." She glared hard at him for the suggestion and he groaned. "Fine. It was a long shot. But one of these nights, you're comin' out with us again."

"I will," she rolled her eyes and turned back to the door. "You guys have fun, though, and try not to get into any trouble."

"I think you're the one who needs to be keepin' out of trouble, Nami," he called to her. "Call me if anything happens."

She sent him a short, noncommittal wave behind her back. She really didn't want to get him involved with her past, she was certain it'd only make a bigger mess of things than it already promised to be.

Everything involving him was a mess, she didn't need to deal with more.

* * *

**Also yes to all the broshipping. I obviously broship Nami and Bonney (actually ship them, too, shh) and couldn't resist hinting at it. Then the ZoNa broshipping, can never have a fic without it.**

**Anyway, love the reviews so far, and am glad ya guys are enjoying this. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**I have decided that Kid is the drunk dial in the middle of the night type of guy... Yes, he definitely is.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.**

* * *

_Favors are Expensive_

Nami spent her Saturday morning studying over a simple breakfast of yogurt and a tangerine. Or at least she tried to.

As much as she wanted to read about the kinematics of fluids for her atmospheric dynamics course, she couldn't get her mind to focus on the words and equations in front of her. She kept going back to the night before, the two fishmen at the back alley casino, and the information that there was a new gang rising. Arlong had been a horrible man in her life, and the last thing she cared to see was someone take up his symbol.

With a heavy sigh, she pushed aside her plate and laid her head down on her dinette table.

All she wanted to do when she returned was finish her degrees, work in a field she loved, and have fun with the friends that meant everything to her. She didn't need to worry about some idiots in the back streets who may or may not bring her trouble. Hatchi had told her that this new fishmen gang didn't know she was back, but they did know who she was thanks to a few of Arlong's lower ranked men who had managed to escape arrest when Arlong was taken down. Hatchi had tried to keep them from saying anything, but they blamed her for everything that happened- rightly so- and weren't about to keep quiet.

She could only trust that Hatchi would do everything he could to prevent anything from happening to her, or her friends.

Her phone chirped where it sat to her right, and with a small groan she reached over without lifting her head to grab it. Turning her head on the table, her cheek pressed to the warm, burgundy wood, she glanced at the screen to see a text message from Robin reminding her that they would meet at the café nearby before heading out for a day of shopping.

She quietly thanked the older woman for unknowingly breaking her from her anxious thoughts.

A quick stretch, arms high above her head, and she shoved the lingering concerns to the back of her mind as she got up to shower and dress. The only part of the previous night she wanted to focus on was spending her bountiful winnings on new clothes.

* * *

"I take it you had a successful run at the poker tournament last night?" Robin chuckled as she stood behind her at the first store they hit up, eyeing the pile of clothes Nami had just finished haggling over.

"Naturally," Nami beamed, smug as ever. "The other players were all too happy to push their money to me."

"So no trouble then?"

Nami frowned at the question. A wary glance confirmed it. Robin knew something had happened the night before.

_Damn it, Zoro._

"There might have been some, but it was nothing." She attempted to wave off. "Whatever Zoro told you was probably exaggerated. You know how he can get."

"I do know how he can get, and I know he isn't the type to exaggerate about anything, Nami." Robin sighed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Nothing happened. We got out of there before those guys could see us." She huffed lightly as she grabbed her bags of new clothes and turned for the door. She didn't want to discuss this, even if it was with Robin. She was never comfortable talking about these things.

"I know you're fine physically, and you know that wasn't what I meant, Nami." The older woman lectured, Nami catching a slightly irritated frown. It was rare for Robin to lose her patience with anyone, but she was obviously worried for her, her insistence on being flippant about her problems was sure to get on even her nerves after a while.

"I'll be okay," she said quietly, her eyes pleading for Robin not to push it. She smiled at her friend's answering sigh and understanding smile. "I can't let it get to me, anyway. I have too much on my plate to worry about them."

"That's true," Robin hummed, slipping her arm around Nami's as they walked in a silent show of support. "How are your classes?"

"Great. You're still going to help me with my history class, right?"

"Of course," she chuckled. "And work with your research group? Is that going well?"

"Yep, I really lucked out getting into that program. It'll be time consuming later in the term, but the grants and scholarships that came along with it are a huge help, especially with living expenses."

"It wasn't luck that got you there, Nami. You're a bright woman, it was the natural outcome of your dedication." Nami beamed at the compliment, further relaxing and forgetting about her worries from the night before. "Will it be enough, though?" Robin continued with a slight frown. "I know you have quite a bit saved up, but do you think you'll need to get a job to keep from going through that."

"Eventually, yeah, but I'm still settling back into life here. Shakky said I could always pick up some shifts at the bar if I needed the extra cash." She shrugged and turned them into another store, distracting herself with the sparkle that came off a cute little orange pendant in the window display.

"Shakky… That reminds me…" Robin's musing tone broke into Nami's keen appraisal of the necklace she spotted, the red head blinking up at her friend curiously. "How are things going with Eustass-san?"

Nami swore she had stopped breathing for a moment as she stared at the woman. She could tell Robin wasn't looking to tease her about her strange friendship with the man, despite the odd scene she had walked in on at the coffee shop. There was that hint of concern in her eyes, a distant unease, and Nami let out a defeated sigh as she turned to take the necklace off its display. It was too perfect not to buy.

"There's nothing _going_ with Kid, if that's what you're worried about. We're just friends, even if he'd prefer otherwise, he knows where I stand on that." Nami explained somewhat tersely.

"As long as you're being careful, Nami, then I won't judge you for who you befriend, but I've heard quite a few things about Eustass-san," Robin said as she, too, went to browse at a rack of scarves. Her blue eyes slid to look sidelong at Nami when she paused. "None of them good."

"I imagine," Nami sighed heavily. "And I'm sure every one of them is true, but…" she trailed off with a small frown as the urge to defend him came upon her. She shook her head, quelled the feelings, and tried to distract herself with some hats. "But I know his type. I can handle it."

"Alright." Her friend nodded, and then there was a barely stifled giggle that stole Nami's attention again. "You two were oddly cute together in the coffee shop."

"We were not!" Nami screeched, her face going red. "He was being an ass! He even made me forget my book! I could have failed a quiz because of him!"

"I heard he returned it, though, and that you two spent a few hours together at the bar being surprisingly friendly to one another." Robin had a knowing glint in her eye as she looked at Nami, though that hint of concern was still there. "Apparently there is more to him than his reputation. I shouldn't be surprised, we all have reputations and pasts that don't always reflect who we are. I guess you would understand that as well as I would."

Nami frowned, her temper calming. That was, oddly enough, exactly how she felt with Kid, that there was a lot more beneath the surface, parts of him he preferred to keep buried for a variety of reasons. She didn't want to make excuses for his behavior, though; knew that she shouldn't. Some part of her felt relieved that Robin could at least understand that.

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't excuse the fact he's an obnoxious asshole most of the time," the red head forced herself to say, shaking off her other thoughts.

Robin's smile grew with another chuckle. "No, of course it doesn't."

"Ah!" Nami's mouth fell open as a thought came to her. "He needs to meet Franky." She caught Robin's head tilt in an amused sort of confusion, and Nami proceeded to tell her friend about Kid's interest in her bike, as well as what she learned about his attempts at getting a degree.

Robin's lips pursed thoughtfully as she listened, but by the end, she gave Nami a kind smile. "I think that would be good for him. Franky had been rough around the edges when we first met, they might get along well."

Nami was ecstatic, glad Robin thought so, too. Even if Kid didn't seem too excited about the prospect, she felt it could be good for him to see that there might still be hope. Franky had been a gang leader when he was younger, granted he did more to protect his community than pick needless fights with everyone, but he still had a lot of problems that nearly held him back from advancing in his field once he made an effort at it.

She didn't want to see him continue wasting his potential away.

* * *

It was pitch black out when her phone rang that evening, the screen lighting up her darkened room as she slept. She pried open her eyes at the jingly tune it was set to, glaring at the obscene brightness and noise.

She desperately wanted to ignore. It should be a crime for anyone to call her when she was asleep.

She reasoned that it could be one of her friends. What if they had gotten into trouble? What if Luffy went and got himself stuck in the hospital again? There were so many possibilities going through her head that she knew she couldn't ignore it, no matter how much she wanted to.

With an irritated growl leaving her throat, she reached for her phone, not checking the display as she answered.

"What? This better be good." She grumbled hoarsely.

"Aww, did I wake ya, Kitten?" His deep voice chuckled on the other end, a slight slur to his words telling her he was not sober in making this call.

She should really just hang up on the ass.

"Yes, Kid, you did." She bit out. "And I'm going back to sleep now that I know it's just you. So good night."

"Don't be such a bitch, I just wanted to talk to you." He grunted back, making her hesitate to hang up when she heard a note of disappointment in his voice. How drunk was he?

"It's…" she paused to look at her display, eyes narrowing at the time, "one-thirty in the morning. Whatever you could possibly want to talk about can wait until a decent hour. When the sun is up. And I'm not homicidal thanks to sleep deprivation."

"Tsh, and here people say I'm the cranky one in the morning."

"You are! I'm only cranky when assholes call me in the middle of the night and wake me up for seemingly no reason!" She yelled into her phone.

"I have a reason." He almost sounded like he was sulking, and she groaned as she sank back into her pillow, letting her phone rest against her face as she lay on her side.

"Fine, then what is it?" She sighed, not hiding her exhaustion.

"Come hang out with us."

"No."

"Tsh, why not?"

"Because I'm sleeping."

"You can sleep tomorrow."

"I want to sleep now." She didn't know how, but she could picture him frowning at her through his phone, eyes narrowed in annoyance at her stubborn defiance. "How much have you had to drink tonight?"

"Not tha' much." He slurred despite himself, giving away that he had drank a lot more than he was admitting to. The fact he was calling her said as much.

"Are you still at Shakky's?" She asked.

"Yeah. You comin' or what?"

"No, I'm still not coming over," she huffed. "Just make sure you guys get home safe. You sound like you could pass out at any moment."

"Aww, ya worried 'bout me?"

"No. I'm worried about the innocent people who might be in your path tonight." She said shortly, refusing to admit she _was_ worried about him in any way.

"Yeah, yeah, don't nag-"

"I'm not nagging."

"We're leaving my car here. Gonna call a cab, or somethin'."

"Good. Now, can I go back to sleep?" She groaned, nuzzling her very comfortable pillow and muffling her voice slightly.

"Nah, ya sound cute when you're tired. I wanna keep talkin' to you like this."

"God, you are a pain in the ass. I'm hanging up on you."

"Wait, one more thing," he stopped her, his tone suddenly more serious, the unexpected sobriety stopping her. "You alright? Nothin' happened today?"

She blinked, feeling a little more awake as she realized he had been worried still after the incident at the gambling hall. She sighed in resignation after a moment, then let out a tired hum. "I'm fine, and nothing happened."

"You have fun with that friend of yours?"

"Mhm." She really wanted to go back to sleep. Wasn't she going to hang up on him?

"What'd you do?"

"Shopping, then went to a movie." She yawned.

"That it?"

"Mhm. It was a good day." She closed her eyes as he hummed in response. "Can I go now?"

He hummed again, a deep sigh in his voice as he answered. "Yeah. Night, Nami."

"G'night, Kid." She smiled sleepily, her hand blindly ending the call and stretching to put her phone back on the nightstand.

A minute later, she was back to sleep, feeling strangely good about the unexpected call.

* * *

The sun was nowhere near coming up when her phone woke her again. She wanted to smash it against the wall when she saw it was four in the morning. The only thing that stopped her was the number was one she easily recognized thanks to the amount of trouble her friends got into on a regular basis. It was the police station.

"Hello?" She answered tiredly, forcing herself not to be too snippy with whoever was calling her.

"Yo, Kitten."

She groaned and slammed her face into her pillow a few times over. Eustass-fucking-Kid was going to be the death of her, and if he wasn't, she was surely going to kill him for this.

"You have got to be kidding me?" She practically sobbed. "What happened?"

"Got arrested."

"Yeah, I figured when I saw you were calling from the police station." She huffed. "Why does everyone call me when they get arrested or taken to the emergency room?" She whined as she rolled onto her back, her hand pressing to her tired eyes as she tried to process this.

"I dunno, but can ya come bail us out?"

"Us?"

"Me, Killer, Wire, and Heat." He answered easily, and now she knew why he was calling her. Everyone else who'd usually bail him out was in a cell with him.

"What did you do?"

"Got into a fight."

"With who?"

"Couple of Big Mom's punks. It was awesome."

"Not you, too. Is everyone I know trying to pick a fight with her? I swear, you're all idiots." She huffed.

"Don't fucking lecture me, woman! They were being dicks and askin' to have their faces rearranged! Their fault for comin' to my turf lookin' for trouble!" He yelled into the phone. "Now are ya gonna come bail us out or not!?"

"Well I think someone needs to lecture you! Especially since the only one of you with any sense normally, went and got himself arrested, too! Seriously, what is wrong with you guys!?"

"Fuck you! Just come bail us out and stop bitchin' at me!"

"No! Ask me nicely, and maybe I'll consider it!"

"I already fuckin' asked you nicely!"

"You didn't say please," she purred, forcing down her temper to taunt him. If he was going to wake her up, yet again, and make her go down to the jail to get him out, then she was going to make him suffer for it.

"Fucking hell, woman," he groaned. "What the fuck do you want from me?"

"I want you to say please. Pretty please with a cherry on top. I want you to plead and beg for your beautiful, gracious, benevolent queen… wait, no, _goddess_, to come to your rescue." She smiled deviously, even though he couldn't see it. She heard him muttering a string of curses at her under his breath, making her giggle as she purred into the receiver again. "Come on, Kid," she licked her lips and dropped her voice low, seductive, "_beg_ for me."

She heard a sharp intake of breath on the other end, one he held for far longer than she expected. When he finally released it, she wanted to smack herself for giving him the opening she did.

"Oh, Kitten," he groaned quietly to her, an amused chuckle in his voice. "So that's how it is? I should'a known ya'd like playin' the dominant one. Too bad the only one who's gonna do any beggin' in this relationship is you, and believe me, I'll get ya beggin' like ya never have before."

Her jaw dropped and she felt a scream want to erupt, but she was so shocked at the abrupt turn in the conversation that she couldn't vocalize anything.

"Oi! Time's up!" She heard in the background as she continued to blink up at the ceiling of her bedroom.

"What! Wait, no!" Kid suddenly turned frantic again before shouting into the phone. "Fuck! Nami, just come bail-"

The line cut out on him and Nami pulled her phone away from her face. She laid in bed, staring at the ceiling for a few more minutes, still trying to get her mind to catch back up after Kid's salacious comment, until her phone rang again.

She had been expecting it, despite her incoherence at the time.

"Hello?"

"Nami?" She heard Killer grunt, his voice sounding tired and hung-over. "Are you coming down for us?"

"Yeah, I'll be there soon." She sighed, rubbing at her eyes again. "But do me a favor…"

"Hm?"

"Don't tell Kid. I want him to squirm a bit." She laughed to herself, the blond letting out his own snort of amusement.

"Alright. I'll do that. Thanks."

She hung up and proceeded to drag herself out of bed. She stood there in the dark for another minute, brows furrowing as a thought came to her.

How was she going to pick up four guys from jail on her motorcycle?

* * *

She, sadly, was a pro at posting bail. Being in a gang at a young age, she was usually sent to fetch anyone in the crew once she was old enough to manage it, and then came her friendship with Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro. Those two, out of all of her friends, had spent more time in a holding cell than she thought possible. She was surprised they didn't have active warrants or bounties out for them.

So, knowing the whole process as well as she did, she amicably chatted with one of the officers as she filled out the paperwork. Handing over the cash was always the most difficult part. She never wanted to relinquish her hard earned money, even less so for four men she could barely manage to call friends.

"Oi! Killer! Why didn't you tell me she was coming!?" She heard Kid holler the moment they walked into the room to see her. She spared the blond an amused look, the older man smirking as he gave her a short wave.

A cursory look of the four let her see only a few bruises and cuts from the fight. Kid had a new black eye and split lip. Killer's nose looked broken. Wire had some bruising around his right temple. Heat had a sutured gash on his left cheek, and a black eye, too. Overall, they looked fine. Hung-over and sore, but fine.

"I said that she would think about it. Obviously she made a decision." Killer explained to his friend as another officer began to hand them bags of their personal belongings at another counter in the room.

"Bullshit! Nami, don't get my friends in on it when you just want to make me suffer!" The man yelled at her. She snorted a laugh, signing the last document under an officer's confused and worried gaze. She beamed at the official as she handed over the last of the paperwork to ease whatever concerns he had about releasing the temperamental man to her care.

"Kid, how about instead of complaining, you thank me for coming at all," she finally spoke. Her tone was falsely sweet, as was the smile she sent him as he came out from behind the counter with his friends in tow.

"Yeah, fine, thanks Kitten," he muttered, frowning heavily before reaching out to pat her head.

She forcefully quelled her temper at the patronizing gesture, only letting her smile widen into a grin that she could tell made him suspicious when he abruptly pulled back his hand.

"You're welcome, Kid," she chirped, grin becoming more devious as she stared up at him. "And of course, I expect you to pay me back."

"Don't worry, I got it," he grunted with a small shrug, eyeing her warily still.

"With interest."

"What?"

"Three-hundred percent."

"What!?" He hollered, Killer quickly reacting to restrain Kid as he seethed in her calmly smiling face. "What the fuck are you scheming, cat thief!? That's fucking extortion! _You_ should be the one in jail, you bitch!"

"Are you telling me you're not going to pay me back, then?" She wasn't anxious at all, despite the rage in his eyes. Contrary to the word DEVIL written in red on her white tank top beneath her jacket, she made herself look the picture of innocence in his face, an angel covering up the devilish dealings she intended to get away with.

"I ain't payin' back that fucking interest! Are you nuts thinking you can charge me that much for a favor!?"

"Kid, I take all matters with money very seriously," she sighed, a look of hurt on her face as she turned back to the ever watchful police officers. "Bailiff," she smiled sweetly again with a small wave, a finger pointed at the four men. "I've changed my mind. You can take them back."

"What!? No! You have got to be-"

"_Kid_," Killer cut him off with a hiss, distracting the red head from his short fuse as he snapped his attention to the man restraining him. The blond sent him a warning look, then pointedly nudged his head to Nami, the woman watching the entire time as she leaned against the counter, devious smile once more intact.

Kid visibly deflated, muttering a string of curses as he shut his eyes, took a few calming breaths, and growled low in his throat. "Fine. We'll fucking pay you back."

"Interest, too?"

He hesitated as he held back a snarl. "Interest, too."

She let out an exaggerated cheer, raising her arms over her head as she bound back to them. The bailiff was still watching, confused as ever. He was newer, otherwise he would have recognized her whole act in a second from the last few times she's had to bail Zoro out.

"Don't worry, Kid," she cooed as she turned to walk backwards ahead of them, "my interest rates might be high, but I have very reasonable payment plans."

"Reasonable my ass, you thieving witch," he sneered. "Remind me to never call you for a favor again."

She laughed, spinning on her heel at the door, and lead the way out to the parking lot.

"How the fuck did you get my car!?" He hollered the second he was outside and noticed his car parked in the early morning light, Nami heading in its direction.

"I hotwired it," she shrugged.

"You fucking stole my car!?"

"Borrowed it!" She yelled back, sending him a short glare at the accusation. "You call me at four in the morning, Kid, and expect me to come pick you guys up from jail on my bike!? How the hell was I supposed to get you guys out of here!? Take turns?"

"Go borrow a friend's car! Don't break into mine and wire it!" He hollered back, Killer trying to calm him with a hand on his shoulder. Nami did have a point after all.

"No way! I'm not as rude as you are to call someone up in the middle of the night for a favor!" She shrieked back, spinning to face him just behind his SUV. "And aren't _you_ supposed to be my friend, huh!? I figured you wouldn't mind me borrowing it when I was getting your loser ass out of jail! If you have a problem with how I do things, then I can get the bailiff to come out here and arrest you again! I don't need you nitpicking how I go about doing you a favor!"

"Kid," Killer sighed, another warning in his tone.

The man growled, but with a deep breath, he managed to calm himself completely. Seeing that he wasn't going to pitch a fit any longer, Nami held out her hand expectantly.

"What?" He cocked a brow at her.

"Your keys," she said shortly. "You all still reek of liquor. There is no way I am letting any of you drive home like this, and not with me in the car. So hand them over, or I'll just hotwire the car again."

"Fucking…" he trailed off into another series of curses as he dug into his pocket for the keys that had been confiscated by the officers when he was put in jail. He unceremoniously slammed them into her awaiting hand. She grinned, the look rather arrogant, as she spun and headed for the driver's side. "Where's your bike, anyway?"

"I left it at Shakky's. I'll drop you guys at your house, then take your car back to the bar," she explained as they all piled in. "I'll leave your keys with her, and you can pick it up after you've had a chance to completely sober up."

"Or, you can have breakfast with us," Kid suggested, sitting in the passenger seat beside her as she pulled out of the parking lot. "By the time we're done, one of us should be sober enough to drive. We'll drop ya off."

"No," she said shortly, "I am not spending another minute with you if I can help it." She glanced over when she heard him growl in annoyance. He was glaring at her, but she ignored it with a huff. "You woke me up twice, Kid. You're lucky I came at all. I do not appreciate having my beauty sleep interrupted so much."

He snorted and reached over to tug at an errant strand of messy, unkempt hair that she had tied up in a loose bun. She shot him a glare of her own, but he grinned teasingly at her. "Beauty sleep, huh? Guess ya got a point since ya look like a damn mess."

"I swear to god, I will slam on the brakes and kick you out of this car, Kid," she growled. He chuckled, but let go of her hair, leaning his head against his window as he stared out at the passing street. "Damn asshole."

The rest of the drive to the house was in silence. Heat and Wire nodded off, leaning against poor Killer who was wedged between them in the back. Kid looked to be dozing off beside her, but he was alert enough to open his eyes every time she took a turn. She knew she was right to drive them home.

Once in their driveway, Killer promptly began shoving the two sleeping men, practically pushing them out of the car as he tried to escape himself. Kid got out, lazy and tired with a sweep of the hand over his face and a short stretch. She watched curiously as he ambled around to the driver's side, expression flat with his need for sleep as he knocked on the window. She sighed and rolled it down with an impatient glare.

"What is it?" She huffed as he leaned in, his right arm resting on the sill while his left dangled inside the door.

"You really gonna charge me that interest?" He grumbled lowly as he rest his head on his arm. He really just needed to go to bed, not worry about whether or not she was going to charge him extra for the bail.

"I told you, Kid, I take all matters with money seriously." She frowned.

"Can't I just owe ya a favor or somethin'?" He frowned back, the look almost a pout in his tired state.

"If I can think of a favor that's equivalent to that much interest, then I'll let you know. Otherwise, you'll be paying me back for the rest of your life in favors." She smiled as his frown deepened.

"Guess I should'a expected it."

"Yes, you should have." She reached out to pat his head, returning his patronizing gesture of earlier. He was too tired to care now that he was home, though, and merely tilted his head into the touch. She sighed and gave him one last pat. "Go to bed, Kid."

"Come inside," he said, the hand dangling inside the car grazing over her thigh. She wished she wasn't wearing shorts because the touch sent tingles crawling over her skin that weren't entirely unpleasant.

"No, I'm going home and going back to sleep."

"You can sleep here."

"No." She said more firmly as he groaned in defeat. "Why are you so insistent about getting me to spend time with you?"

"'Cause I like havin' ya around," he shrugged. "You're fun."

"Oh, and the- _and I quote_\- wanting to fuck my brains out, plays no role in it?" She huffed, smacking his arm inside the car in a hope to get his touch to stop.

He managed a lazy grin as he leaned his head in more. "Well, maybe a little."

"Good bye, Kid," she pointedly turned away, shoving her hand in his face to push him out of the car.

"Hey, you brought it up," he chuckled, grasping her hand in a surprisingly gentle grip to pull it from his face as he leaned back in. "Not to mention your little comment about makin' me beg earlier. Your fault ya keep givin' me so many dirty thoughts."

"I didn't mean it that way, and you know it." She said flatly, his face getting far too close to hers.

"I wonder about that," he chuckled in her ear, his breath cascading over her neck and making her force down a shiver. "Ya certainly sounded like you meant it that way. And ya keep playin' hard to get, can't help but think you're just waiting for me to beg."

"I'm not waiting for anything. I'm not interested at all, as I keep telling you." She said, leaning away to get some breathing room again. Why did it feel so hot all of a sudden?

He chuckled again and she felt his hand give her thigh a small squeeze. She turned her face away so he couldn't see her bite her lip at his touch. It was way too hot for so early in the morning, and she desperately wanted to leave.

"Alright, Kitten. You just keep playin' that game of yours, and we'll see who cracks first." He said, finally pulling away. "I look forward to hearin' ya beg."

Her answer was a dark glare that he only laughed at again, waving when she quickly backed out to escape him.

She hated how he made her heart race. How he made her hands tremble with anxiety. How he made her feel like she didn't have any control anymore, no matter how much she fought to hold onto it.

The worst of it was- she was starting to wonder if she liked it.

* * *

**Thank you guys for all your reviews so far!**


	8. Chapter 8

**All I can say is that this chapter is on crack. Pure crack. Kid needed to show some of the reclusive cute side he talks about having.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.**

* * *

_The Shogun and the Monster_

Nami loved sunny days. The warmth that spread over her skin as she lay in the park, birds chirping happily in the trees, and the cheerful sounds of children playing nearby, left her feeling at peace, calm, no anxiety or worries. She had needed a day like this, just to get out and relax, clear her mind of stress, so when a friend asked her if she would take his son to the park, she absolutely couldn't say no.

Stretched out on a blanket in the grass, Nami kept an eye on her ward for the day as he played with the kids on the playground. Or at least he would be playing if he weren't so shy and standoffish with them. She giggled when Momonosuke was invited to swing with a few of the kids on the swing set, but he frowned, panicking slightly in his awkwardness, and scampered to go down the slide without a word. He was really a sweet kid, he just needed to get the hang of spending time with children his own age. He was shy around adults, too, but he had grown close to her group of friends quickly thanks to his father and Luffy.

With a small shake of the head, she let her gaze go down to her book, flipping to the next page to continue her studies. She kicked her feet up behind her as she lay on her stomach, letting them sway and kick gently in the warm sun. If she wasn't careful, she knew she could doze off in the rays, the heat feeling far too comforting on her back and legs with only a bikini top and shorts on.

"O-Nami!" Momonosuke called out, drawing her attention away from her book to see him running toward her with something hidden behind his back.

"What is it, Momo-chan?" She tilted her head, trying to peek at what he had. She didn't have to, as he quickly darted his hand out with a cute little bundle of wildflowers held tightly. This boy was too adorable. "Ah! Are those for me!?" She beamed, sitting up on her knees as she reached out to take them at his nod, grabbing him in the process to pull him into a tight hug. "Momo-chan! You're so sweet!"

"O-o-Nami," he choked out against her bosom, prompting her to loosen her hold enough for him to breathe. She continued to coo happily as he returned the hug and buried his face between her breasts. He was just so cute.

"Ah! Since it's such a warm day, how about some ice cream?" She suggested, patting the boy on the head to get his attention. "My treat."

He smiled up at her and then buried his face against her chest again, muffling his voice as he gratefully agreed.

After finally prying him away, she dug through her bag for some money and handed it to him. "Get one for me, too," she said as she pointed out the ice cream cart nearby. He nodded and prepared to take off, but she stopped him with a teasing smile. "Don't forget your sword, Samurai-chan," she said with a wink, pointing to the wooden practice sword he always had with him. "Just in case you run into any bad guys."

"Ah! You're right, O-Nami," he said, forcing his expression to turn serious, even as she giggled at him. She handed him the weapon and watched as he slipped it into the belt loop of his dark blue shorts. He bunched his loose pink t-shirt around it, making sure it was exposed; an unnecessary deterrent, but a cute one, at that.

As he ran off for the ice cream, Nami settled back onto her stomach, her gaze flitting between the child and her textbook. She hummed happily, not a care in the world, and with her attention divided, she didn't pay any mind to the approaching footsteps in the grass that came to a stop just beside her.

"Hmm," her back went rigid at the sound of a low, appreciative hum somewhere above her. "I need to come to the park more often."

She snapped her head around to see Kid standing over her, dressed in a black band shirt, dark green cargo shorts, and flip flops in place of his usual boots to combat the day's heat. His arms were crossed and eyes glued to her body with a playful smirk, not hiding his interest in her.

With a startled shriek, she flipped onto her back, arms flying out behind her to push her up as she drew away from where he stood. He chuckled, crouching down beside her with his eyes drinking in the new view, his grin only widening much to her annoyance.

"Yep, definitely gotta come around more often."

"What the hell are you doing here, Kid?" She hissed. She hadn't seen him in a week since she bailed him out of jail, and she was enjoying the break from his overwhelming presence in her life. She wasn't pleased that he was disrupting her pleasant day of babysitting.

"Killer works nearby," he grunted, nodding his head in some direction that she guessed his friend's job was. She remembered Killer mentioning he worked at a restaurant as a cook, but she didn't know it was so close. "I'm supposed to pick him up, but he got stuck 'cause some jerk was gonna be late. I'm just here killin' time until he can get off."

She frowned as she realized she was probably stuck with him until then, there was no way he was going to leave now that he'd found her.

"Studying?" He asked, nodding to her textbook and distracting her from the annoyed glare she was sending him. "What some company?"

"No, I do not," she huffed. She was right, she was stuck with him.

He frowned at her answer, though he obviously expected it as he pointedly settled down onto her blanket, folding his right leg in, the left bent up as he draped his left arm over his knee and leaned back on the other. "Too bad, I'm keepin' ya company."

"Stubborn jerk," she hissed as she moved over to the very edge of the blanket, watching him carefully as she took to her stomach to read again. "Why can't you just leave me alone for once?"

"Tsh, you should be thankful it was me who approached ya. Layin' around in a skimpy bikini like that, you could have gotten worse." He shrugged and she could feel his gaze on her body again.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "I've been out here for a half an hour and no one has tried to approach me. And if anyone did, I can take care of myself, I don't need a bodyguard."

"Right. You take care of yourself. I could probably break ya like a twig if I tried." He snorted, leaning forward to pinch her waist playfully.

She swatted him away with a sneer and then turned to dig in her bag. He cocked a brow as she pulled something out, both brows raising in surprise at the sound of an electrical current arcing as she held her taser in front of her.

"I'm not naïve enough to go around completely defenseless, Kid," she said.

He chuckled, waiting for her to put her weapon away before reaching out to squeeze the back of her thigh. "So the Kitten's got some claws. That's cute. But I'm stayin'."

"Fine," she sighed, smacking his hand again, "just keep your hands to yourself."

"Mmm, I'll try," he chuckled lowly, ignoring her heated glare as he leaned in closer. "Gonna be tough with my woman looking so tempt-"

He was cut off with a loud _thwack_ as a wooden sword came down hard on the back of his head. Nami's eyes went wide, her lips pursing as she tried to hold back her laughter as Kid's eyes practically bugged out of his skull with the force.

"O-Nami! I will save you!" Momo hollered behind the large man, jumping back when Kid turned his head to glare at him, snarling in pure anger at the child.

"You little brat," Kid growled and swiveled as he prepared to launch himself at Momo.

Nami didn't hesitate as she flung herself at the man's back, tangling her legs in his and wrapping her arms around his neck to tug him back with a tight choke hold. Momo was just out of his reach, one arm outstretched attempting to grab the boy who was trying to look intimidating, even as he shook nervously, while the other pulled at her hold to free himself.

"Don't you dare hurt him, Kid!" Nami yelled. "He's just a child!"

"He fucking hit me!" His voice came out in a strangled growl. "He needs to learn a lesson, the damn brat."

"He was just defending me from a creep," she said, her legs further tangling with his. He was bigger than her, stronger, too, he should be able to get out of the hold, but she still tried to wrap herself around him to throw him off balance as much as she could. As angry as he was, she instinctively knew he wouldn't hurt her, his grip firm but not bruising as he tried to pry her off.

"Stop calling me a creep!"

"Well you were being one!"

"Damn it! Let go!"

"No! Not until you calm down! I will not let you hurt him!"

"I wasn't gonna hurt him, just scare him!"

"Don't scare him, either!"

He didn't yell back, and she waited patiently as he took steadying breaths, his hold on her arm relaxing as he forced himself to calm down. When he let out a heavy, annoyed sigh, she leaned forward to rest her chin on his shoulder. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye with a deep frown.

"Are you going to play nice, Kid? Or am I going to have to use my taser on you?" She smiled when he answered with an incoherent grumble; it was enough for her and she released him to turn to Momonosuke, arms open for him to run in to. "Momo-chan! Are you alright?"

"I am fine," he pouted as he clung to her chest. She didn't see his blush as he nuzzled against her breasts, nor did she see the haughty look he sent at the sulking man beside her. She did hear Kid's irritated growl. "I am sorry, O-Nami, I dropped the ice cream so I could save you from the monster."

"Says the spawn of Satan," Kid growled under his breath, glaring darkly at the child.

"Aww," she cooed, holding him tighter and ignoring Kid's comment as she cuddled the boy. "It's alright. And Kid isn't a monster. He's just a big, scary man who likes to drive me insane."

"Oi," Kid grunted.

"But he looked like he was going to eat you," Momo whimpered, clutching to her tighter as his expression took on a sick amusement at Kid's obvious jealousy.

"He wouldn't eat me," she reassured, Kid snorting beside her.

"Wanna bet, Kitten," he said under his breath.

Her face went as red as his hair as she shot her eyes to him. He grinned, glad to have her attention on him again, and made a point of running his tongue over his lips and a canine. The look in his eye only made her blush more, squeezing the child in her grip tighter as she resisted the urge to whimper at the thoughts he was eliciting in her.

She just wanted one peaceful day without him getting under her skin. One day.

"Kid," she bit out, shaking off the strange feeling, "since it's your fault we don't have any ice cream to eat, you can go get us more."

"What makes ya think I'd do that? And it's the brat's fault. If he hadn't fucking hit me, he would'a seen I wasn't a threat to you." He argued.

"Watch your language. And trust me, you come off as a threat to anyone." She narrowed her eyes on him. "If that isn't good enough reason, though, then I'll just remind you of how much money you owe me."

He glared, lip curling into a sneer.

"And, since you're so adamant about spending time with me," she went on, smile widening as a thought came to her. "Help me babysit Momo-chan until Killer's done with work, and I'll forgive…" she trailed off to hum in thought, fingertip covering her lip, "one-sixth of the interest you owe me for your bail."

"What!? Only a sixth! And you're still fucking extorting me!?" He hollered.

"O-Nami! I do not want him to stay!" Momonosuke yelled in her hold at the same time.

She shushed the child and then turned to Kid with a small pout. "You promised you would pay me back, and I'm being kind enough to think of a favor to offset some of it, just like you asked." He grit his teeth in discomfort as she pushed her lip out further, being as sweet and manipulative as she could. "Don't you want to keep me company?"

She felt victorious when he grumbled some choice curses under his breath and picked himself up from the blanket.

"Fine. Just stop lookin' at me like that, ya damn greedy woman." He huffed as he turned his back on her, shoving his hands in his pockets. "The shit I do for ya."

"Thank you, Kid!" She shouted merrily to his retreating back, giggling softly when Momonosuke stuck his tongue out at the man.

When he returned with their treats, Nami gave him the brightest smile she had, throwing him off even more as he settled back onto the blanket beside her. She couldn't help but laugh at how awkward it made him when she was overwhelmingly nice, the man propping his chin on his hand and pointedly looking away from her, a glare set on random passersby in the park.

It took him a few minutes to adjust to the pleasant atmosphere, but when he did, he casually leaned back on an arm beside her. She didn't let his proximity bother her as she ate her ice cream, even as she felt his shirt brush against her arm. He was calm and civil, she could deal with that.

She noticed the dirty looks he was sending Momonosuke as the boy sat tucked at her other side, and she didn't miss how the child occasionally stuck his tongue out at him, making a show of nestling even closer to her. She raised a brow as she looked between the two posturing against each other. It was amusing, to say the least.

She let out a small squeak when Kid suddenly grabbed her wrist and drew her ice cream over to him. She glared, but his gaze was on the boy at her side again, a glint of amusement in his eye as he took a bite of the scoop of ice cream.

"Gah! Don't take food without asking!" She hollered as she smacked him upside the head.

"I bought it, you can share a bite," he growled back, rubbing a hand through his hair where she hit him while stealing another bite.

"Stop eating my ice cream!" She yelled one last time before elbowing him in the side and turning her back to him. Momonosuke snickered beside her at Kid's loss in whatever battle they were waging. She couldn't get mad at Momo when he was a child, it was normal for him to taunt and compete for attention, but Kid was a grown man, despite his name, he should know better.

"Tsh," he huffed, settling down onto the blanket to lay on his side facing her.

She glanced back to see him frowning, his eyes shut as he sulked. It was cute, she would admit to only herself, and she gave in to the urge to reward the behavior, holding out her ice cream when he peeked open an eye to catch her looking at him. He grinned cheekily at her and took another taste before sending a cocky, victorious look at Momonosuke.

"Really, Kid?" She rolled her eyes and took back her ice cream. "You are a grown man, are you actually trying to one up a child?"

"The brat started it," he grumbled, shutting his eyes again.

"Again, you are the adult here. Act like it." She watched flatly as he curled his lip in a slight sneer, not even bothering to look at her again. _He's almost as bad as Luffy_, she thought to herself.

"O-Nami," Momonosuke spoke up once he was done with his ice cream, drawing her from her thoughts on the stubborn man.

"What is it, Momo-chan?" She asked sweetly, flicking Kid's forehead in warning when she heard him let out another irritated growl.

"I want to play _Shogun_! Can we?"

She giggled and gave him a short nod, shifting on the blanket so her legs were curled against her side, and proceeded to pat her lap. "Of course. Let your O-Nami take care of you, Shogun-sama."

"Oi, what the fuck kind of game is this?" Kid grumbled as he peeked open an eye to see what they were doing, his frown only deepening as Momo laid his head on her lap.

"It's called _Shogun._ Momo-chan is the Shogun, and I am his consort who pampers and cares for him." She explained breezily, ignoring his narrow eyed gaze. "Here," she said as she handed him the last of her treat, letting him finish it for her as she dug into her bag for the small fan she always had.

Kid sat up and quickly finished off the cone as he watched her fan the young boy, expression turning thoughtful. "This is the whole game?"

"Mhm," she smiled serenely, her attention mostly on the child. "Sometimes he'll play by sparing with Zoro or his father, though his father's not a fan of this part of the game."

"I can imagine," he grunted. She glanced at him in confusion when he suddenly stood up, brushing a few pieces of grass from his shorts. When he caught her looking again, she felt suspicious and uneasy with the strange smirk he wore. "Well it's stupid to play _Shogun_ without showin' that he's earned the right to be the Shogun. So, Shogun," he glanced at the boy who was staring up at him curiously now, the man wearing a grin, "grab that damn stick of yours and prove you're the Shogun."

Momonosuke blinked then looked at Nami. The woman frowned, slightly worried, but sent Kid a look that clearly told him not to go overboard and nodded for the boy to play along. The instant he was up and going for his wooden sword, Nami was startled by Kid coming closer to her.

"Eh?" She blanched as he bent down and wrapped an arm around her waist. "What are you-!?" She was cut off as he hauled her up onto his shoulder, letting out a small shriek with the sudden movement.

"O-Nami!"

Kid chuckled as he stood straight again, not bothered as Nami kicked her legs out in front of him and slammed her fists against his back.

"Kid! What do you think you're doing!? Put me down this instant!"

"We're playin' this game my way, Kitten. The little brat thinks he can be Shogun, well he's gotta get his consort back first." He explained, leaning his head back so she could see his wide grin again. His gaze slid back to the little boy, grin turning exceedingly arrogant as he played the villain. "Ya made a mistake leavin' your woman alone. Gave me a chance t' steal her for myself. Ya want her back, then ya better take me down with that silly little stick of yours."

"It is not a stick! It is a samurai sword! And I will defeat you monster!" Momonosuke charged in, swinging at Kid's legs only to have the man jump out of the way.

"Tsh, if I'm a monster, then that's a damn stick. Now ya gotta do better than that, brat!" Kid practically cackled, his arm squeezing around Nami's waist tight to hold her steady as he continued to run from the child.

Nami was even more confused at this point. Kid was actually playing. Nicely. Sure, she was certain he had ulterior motives, but at the moment it was too charming for her to care. She couldn't hold back her amused laughter, though she did try to muffle it as she buried her face against his back.

"What's wrong back there, Kitten? Ya actually havin' fun again?" He glanced back with an amused chuckle.

She refused to speak, just clutched at his shirt and shook her head stubbornly, only prompting him to laugh louder before playfully smacking her backside beside his head.

"Kid!" She shrieked, the charm gone as she pushed herself up to glare at him.

He continued to laugh until it got caught in his throat with a strangled curse and he fell to his knees. He managed to hold onto her with one arm. Curious as to what happened, she glanced up and behind her to see Momonosuke standing in front of him, his sword held out, the boy grinning proudly at his opponent. A quick look down at the coughing man holding her showed the child had taken a cheap shot at Kid's groin, the man nursing the injury with his other hand as he caught his breath.

She sighed. This wasn't the first time Momonosuke took advantage of that weakness. Luffy started wearing a cup anytime he'd visit the young boy and his father, he had been nailed there enough times to warrant it.

"Momo-chan," she frowned, an unspoken reprimand in her voice.

"I am sorry, O-Nami, but I had to save you from the monster." His grin fell away as he stuck his lip out in a quivering pout, a tear brimming in his eye, and she felt her heartstrings tug.

She squirmed in Kid's hold, trying to get free so she could go comfort and reassure her ward. She couldn't stand to see him look so sad. But the crimson haired man's hold only tightened, refusing to relinquish her as he unsteadily pushed himself back to his feet.

"Oh hell no, Nami. You are not gonna comfort that brat after he hit me in the fucking balls." Kid grunted and she stiffened as she noticed his temper was hanging on by a thread after the strike. She cried out as he shot forward and snatched the bokken from the boy's grasp, Momonosuke's mouth falling open in shock, and a little fear at being so easily disarmed. "Ya just pissed off the monster who's got your consort. The game's gonna get a lot harder for ya now."

Nami watched as he tossed the sword away, the wooden rod flipping through the air until it landed, stuck in the ground a few yards away. Anxious for her ward's safety, she pushed up again, trying to get a better look at Kid's face, but he adjusted his hold and shoved her back down as he advanced on the child.

"Kid!" She warned, flaying her arms in an attempt to smack his head. "Don't you dare hurt him."

"I ain't gonna hurt him," he grunted, "but I'm gonna make sure he doesn't do somethin' that stupid again."

She grit her teeth, a strangled squeal lodged in her throat as Momonosuke abruptly took off screaming through the park, Kid right on his heels, cackling maniacally like the villain he was.

They ran non-stop for over a half an hour before Momonosuke finally collapsed on the blanket, exhausted and forced to surrender when his counter-attacks failed after he got his sword back. Kid approached, panting hard with Nami still slung over his shoulder, but he wore a proud grin as he stared down at his defeated rival.

"There. Are you happy now? You beat a child at his own game." Nami huffed, completely bored, though no less amused with his antics.

"Heh, damn right I did," he chuckled, shifting to set her back down. "Especially since it means I'm the Shogun."

"Oh no," she took a step away, arms raised to hopefully hold him back.

"Oh yes. I beat the old Shogun, that makes me the new Shogun, and that makes you my consort. I believe you're supposed to be catering to my needs now." His grin grew as he took a large step toward her, letting himself tower over her as she stood frozen in shock.

She blanched, terrified of what those needs might be. Considering who she was dealing with, and his lecherous remarks, she could only imagine what he might try to make her do.

"On your knees," he ordered, and she thought she might die right there as her cheeks warmed. She refused to move until he leaned in, grin wiped away as he glowered at her. "Get your head outta the gutter, Kitten, I ain't that much of a monster." The relieved sigh she began to let out came to a halt when his grin returned and he moved to whisper in her ear. "But if you're interested, we can arrange to play _Shogun_ alone and do all those dirty little thoughts ya got in your head."

She shrieked and smacked his chest, the reaction only gaining a tired chuckle from him before he nudged his head toward the blanket.

"Just sit how ya were earlier," he said, his exhaustion from playing with the child becoming more apparent as he let himself fall to the blanket. "Trust me, Nami."

She frowned down at him, but with a defeated sigh, she took a seat, curling her legs up to her side and waiting for whatever it was he intended to do. She cocked a brow as he laid down on his stomach, resting his head on her lap, just as Momonosuke had been earlier, using her as a pillow.

"Do you want me to fan you, too?" She half joked as she stared down at him, giving his cheek a little poke with her finger.

He gave a small shrug, a relieved groan as he nestled his cheek against her thigh, and shut his eyes. She giggled at the worn out man. Apparently he earned himself another reward by playing with Momo to the point of exhaustion for both of them. So, feeling generous, she let her hand drift through his messy red hair, the normally spiky strands falling over his face as they fell loose from his black headband. He groaned again, rubbed his cheek against her, and wrapped his right arm around her legs.

"O-Nami," Momonosuke struggled to push himself up from where he collapsed not far from where she sat. She smiled in a mixture of pity and amusement as he crawled to them, fearlessly grasping onto Kid's shirt in a vain effort to pull him off her. He looked just as exhausted as Kid; sounded it, too. "I will free you."

"Just give up, brat," Kid grunted, yet again nuzzling her legs. "I'm done playin' now that I got what I wanted."

Her smile turned sweeter as she glanced down at Kid. He was confusing her again with this oddly charming side, but she liked it. If he were like this more often, then maybe… just maybe…

She shook her head, dispersing those thoughts. No, this was a rarity for Kid, and she knew he was only doing this to get on her good side. In reality, he was still a jerk with an all too short temper, bound to bring her more trouble than anything else the closer she got to him.

But as Momonosuke collapsed on the man's back, Kid barely sparing an indifferent grunt as he dozed off, she couldn't help but relish the peace that she never got to see with Kid. Momo fell asleep an instant later, sprawled out and drooling.

The peace was broken when Kid's cell phone rang in his pocket, prompting the man to growl in annoyance at it. He didn't move immediately, so Nami leaned forward, even as his hold on her tightened, and dug in his pocket for his phone, Kid shifting his hips to help her pull it out.

"It's Killer," she said, holding the display in front of his face as he pried open an eye to glare at it.

"Answer it," he ordered, eye sealed shut again.

She snorted at his laziness, but answered the call, anyway. "Killer?"

"Nami? You're with Kid?" The blond asked in surprise on the other end.

"He ran into me at the park. Are you done with work?"

"Yeah. You guys still at the park, then?" He asked, his breath coming a little heavily and she guessed he had begun walking in their direction.

"Mhm. Near the playground."

"Alright. I'll be there in a few."

When he hung up, Nami looked back at her two wards for the day, giggling as they both snored peacefully. Her gaze fell on Kid and her hand still gently tangling with his hair, her lips quirking up in a mischievous smile as she spied her earlier gift from Momonosuke.

She was going to make the most of these last few minutes with him.

* * *

Killer had not been expecting the sight he was greeted with when he got to the park, and all he could do was stare at the trio, jaw dropped slightly, as he questioned if he was having a very strange dream.

Maybe it was the heat?

There, his head resting comfortably in Nami's lap, was his best friend, fast asleep with a child laying over his back, also asleep. The woman was humming to herself as she played with Kid's hair, braiding a few strands to keep herself entertained.

If it were just braids, he might not have been so shocked, but the wildflowers she weaved into the hair was not something he ever thought he'd see. He was curious to see if she'd manage to get away with it. Sure, Kid really liked her, but he had his limits.

"Having fun?" He finally asked as he closed the last few feet, gaining Nami's attention as she grinned at him.

"You have no idea." She laughed.

"Babysitting today?" He asked after a short chuckle, nodding his head toward the child as he crouched down beside her. Sure enough, Kid was completely knocked out in her lap now that he could get a closer look.

"Mhm."

"Well, you seem to have a knack for it. I don't think I've ever seen Kid this relaxed before. Maybe I should have you babysit him more often."

She laughed, tying off one last braid, complete with a vibrant pink flower. "I'll consider it, but my usual rates for children over twenty is a minimum of a hundred dollars an hour. I won't charge you for today, but in the future I will demand payment."

Killer chuckled with her. "I don't blame you for that, he _is_ a handful. Thanks for putting up with him."

"It was surprisingly fun." She shrugged as she leaned back on her hands, Kid groaning in her lap with the small movement. "At least when he wasn't being a big brat."

Killer couldn't help but smile at the way she was looking down at his friend, her eyes soft, no sign of anger; she looked content with him, a look he'd never seen her give when with Kid. He knew there was something there between them, even if Nami was constantly trying to keep at a distance. It was probably for the best, knowing how Kid could be, but he wondered if maybe she could be a good influence on him if things continued to progress.

"I'd better wake him," he finally sighed. He hated that he had to disturb this moment for them.

"Please, my legs are falling asleep," she laughed.

Standing up, Killer reached for the child on his friend's back, picking him gently to hand over to Nami. Once the sleeping boy was nestled against her side, his face nuzzling into her chest, Killer leaned over to smack Kid's cheek a few times.

"Oi, wake up, Kid," he prodded, only gaining a low growl before Kid turned his face away. Killer stood with a heavy sigh at his friend's stubbornness, pulled back a foot, and kicked him hard in the side.

"Fuck!" Kid hollered, jolting over onto his side and off of Nami's lap. His heated glare landed on Killer instantly, the blond's arms crossed over his chest as he stared impassively back at him. "What the fuck was that for?"

"It's time to go. Say good-bye to Nami." He said while restraining his laughter at the flowers poking out of his hair.

Kid cursed under his breath, rubbing his aching side, but dragged himself off the ground. Killer watched as he reached up to run his hand through his hair, only to have his fingers tangle in the braids and flowers. As the red head glanced up, tugging his hair to see what was in there, Killer finally let out an amused snort.

"Fucking hell, Kitten," Kid glowered, remarkably calm even as Nami snickered behind her hand. "I'll get back at you for this." He rolled his eyes when she only smiled brightly at him, and then reached over to ruffle his hand through her hair. "Tsh, pain in the ass," he grumbled, "I'll call ya later."

"Bye, Kid," she laughed, surprising Killer when she didn't give her normal outburst when Kid pat her on the head. They really were getting along better that day.

Kid grunted at her and headed off in the direction of his waiting car, leaving Killer behind as the blond took one last moment to glance between the pair. Smirking, he sent Nami a short wave, and turned to follow after his friend.

It was only a matter of time before something gave between them. He hoped for their sakes that it was good.

* * *

**I don't know why, I just had to write this after getting an image of Kid playing with Nami and Momonosuke like this... and then him falling asleep on her while she played with his hair. I could not help myself. Kid needed some redeeming qualities, after all.**

**I should feel bad that he got hit in the nuts again, though... but I don't.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Just a clear warning for you guys- Absalom makes an appearance in this chapter, and I think you all know what he is more than capable of doing. So just be aware of that, though I do not go further than what he did in Thriller Bark, but since it's prose, it might feel more graphic/ intense since I write out Nami's thoughts and emotions in the process of dealing with him. Also, Kid's reaction is naturally going to be at an extreme. As I said, I will not sugarcoat his violent nature, it is the large reason this fic is rated as it is (along with the content of the chapter after this *innocent whistle*).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.**

* * *

_A Relative Safety_

It was Friday night. Her couch wasn't as comfortable as it normally was, no matter what position she tried to sit or lie in. She settled with her feet propped up on the back, her head hanging off the seat, quite literally upside-down in an effort for comfort and entertainment. The television was on, but there was nothing of interest to keep her attention for more than a few fleeting moments.

A movie. The nightly news. Some drama. A sketch comedy. Back to the news. And then finally she muted it with a heavy, disgruntled sigh.

She was bored.

It wasn't often that she found herself without anything to do. Granted, she could be studying, but her mind was feeling strained with all the work she'd been doing, and she was desperate for a break.

Her normal outlet came from her friends, the tight network of people she could always count on to be there for her.

Except for that night.

She sighed again.

Zoro was gone, visiting his surrogate father of sorts. She couldn't imagine he was having any better a time there than she was having, not when their bonding consisted of sitting in silence while Mihawk read the newspaper and Zoro slept or cleaned his swords. Then again, for that man, that was practically a dream vacation, especially when she took into consideration their sparring.

Luffy was gone, too, off visiting some city called Dressrosa with his brother Sabo. An old friend of theirs had moved there a few years ago, and, for whatever reason, Luffy had decided to run off for a visit. She couldn't imagine their friend being too happy about that when he saw Luffy, but the young man was certainly ecstatic for the trip. Then again, he was ecstatic for any trip, especially one with his brother.

Usopp had gone home for a short visit with his old friend Kaya. She was finishing up some of her schooling, and he decided he needed to tell her all of his newest stories, some of which were true.

Sanji… actually had a_ date_. She had no idea how he managed it, but he was actually going on a date with a living, breathing, human woman who legitimately found his overly loving nature charming. Sure, Nami adored the man, but when he swooned over just about every woman he saw, it made it difficult to take him seriously. She was happy for him, though.

Franky and Robin were also off on a date that night, but that was the norm for their Fridays. Robin had invited her along, willing to forego their usual routine so Nami wouldn't be left alone that night, but she refused to interrupt their time together.

Hatchi was off meeting with their friend Jinbei, something she didn't care to think too much on. They were discussing the potential threat of the new fishmen gang. No, she definitely didn't care to think about that.

It was too bad she didn't try to arrange her own trip that weekend, but she hadn't expected to be so bored. If she had known it would be like this, she would have visited her sister, or gone to Alabasta to see Vivi. But no, she was stuck there, staring at the upside-down television screen as blood rushed to her head.

It must have been making her delirious, it's the only reason she had for what she did next.

She reached out to pat around her coffee table for her cell phone, the movement awkward as she refused to sit up properly. When she found it, she thoughtlessly pulled up her contact list and dialed up her very last resort.

"Kitten?" Kid answered, rightfully surprised that she was actually calling him. Ever since she got his phone number, she never once made an effort to contact him, he always called her… most of the time in the middle of the night. Their phone calls were usually pleasant, especially the last few they had that occurred at more reasonable times, save for one night when Kid managed to catch her in the middle of an all-nighter as she studied for an exam. His interruption was an oddly welcome relief, even if she did lecture him about calling at horrible times, and she somehow proceeded to nod off as they talked.

She didn't know what to think when she still managed to ace the test the next day.

In the end, talking with him on the phone was easy. There wasn't that uncomfortable, but not always unpleasant, breech of her personal space. If he crossed a line, she could just hang up and not deal with him for the rest of the night. But overall, he was usually mellower on the phone, and thus much easier for her to deal with.

"What's up?" Kid asked once he brushed off his shock at her calling him, letting out a relaxed chuckle. "Miss me?"

"You wish," she groaned, only prompting him to laugh more. "I'm bored."

"Oh?" He hummed, sounding far too interested for her liking, but she ignored it in favor of not being bored.

"Yeah. I was thinking of going to Shakky's but I'd rather not go alone."

She could practically hear his amused grin as he spoke to her. "Well doesn't that suck for you?" He paused to snort at her annoyed groan. He was playing dumb, and she knew it. "So, what are ya gonna do?"

She whined, finally letting her legs fall from the back of the couch as she rolled onto her stomach, stretching over the cushions with a small huff. "Kid…"

"Hm?"

"Ugh," she was starting to realize how dumb she was being, but there was no going back without making it worse. "Are you free?"

She already knew he probably had the biggest grin on his face at her question, and that just made her want to punch him. She was never going to live this down.

"I am. You wanna hang out?"

"Yeah," she groaned. "What about the guys?"

"Hm," she could hear his excitement deflate into disappointment with that hum. He had obviously been hoping to spend time alone with her. "Heat and Wire are working late. Killer's…" he paused, then she heard the phone rustle as he pulled it away from his face and shouted at his friend in another room. "Oi! Ya wanna meet up with Nami at Shakky's!?" She didn't hear Killer's answer, but after a minute, Kid was talking to her again. "Killer's game, but he's gotta work in the morning. He said he'd drive, so if ya want, we can swing by and pick ya up. Save you from leaving your bike if you drink too much."

"Hmm, I guess that's a good idea," she hummed after a moment of thought. "I'll text you my address."

"Alright," he chuckled, then she heard him shift and grunt. He sounded like he was stretching, the strain in his voice as he spoke again confirming it. "We'll see ya in a bit, Kitten."

* * *

She jumped at the heavy pounding on her door that came just as she was slipping on her red tank top over her jeans after a quick shower. Her heart beating a little erratically, she ran out to peek through the peephole to see Kid and Killer standing outside her apartment. With a deep huff to calm her anxiety, she unlocked the door and swung it open to greet them.

"Come on in, I'm almost ready," she said, waving them in as she headed to her bedroom to finish tying up her hair.

Kid merely grunted, his gaze taking in her whole apartment as he led his friend inside. When Nami returned a few minutes later, she found Kid sitting in the middle of her sofa, spread out and treating it as if it were his own, and Killer in her kitchen poking around inside her fridge.

"Don't get comfortable you two," she snorted as she snatched her leather coat on her way to the door. "I'm ready to go."

The crimson haired man let out a low groan as he pulled himself from her couch. He looked strangely tired and sluggish, leaving her curious, a brow cocked at him.

"What?" He asked, a brow raised in return when he caught her looking.

"You seem like you just woke up. You sure you want to come out?" She asked as they walked into the hall.

"'Course. Like hell I'd back outta hanging out with you, especially when you're the one who called me." He smirked, hands shoved in his pockets as he and Killer waited for her to lock up. "Just worked a double at the gambling hall last night. Didn't get home 'til dawn." When she gave him a skeptical look, he spared her a grin and slung his right arm over her shoulders, leading her to the stairs and Killer's waiting Jeep. "Come on, Kitten, don't look at me like that. I can sleep later, rather get a few drinks with you tonight and ease your boredom."

"Fine, if you say so," she sighed and elbowed him in the side as she smiled up at him. "Just don't expect me to let you use my lap as a pillow again if you start falling asleep."

"Tsh, stingy," he feigned a hurt look, then tightened his hold around her shoulder to crush her against his side. "My girl's so mean to me."

"What have I told you about calling me that?" She huffed, trying to hide her amusement as she smacked his stomach.

He pretended to dodge, but still let her fingers graze over his abs as his other arm came to wrap around her head and hold her tight against his chest as he chuckled. "See what I'm talkin' 'bout, Killer?" He cackled at his friend once they got to the car, while she struggled vainly in his hold, stifling her laughter at his bout of playfulness. "Keeps rejecting and hitting me. What'd I do to deserve that?"

"Probably has to do with you being an asshole," Killer smirked, only making Kid bark an even louder laugh.

"Is that it, Kitten?" He joked while reaching to push the front passenger seat forward and nudging her into the back with a quick swat at her bottom.

"Yes, that's exactly it," she glared as she batted his hand away from her, sticking her tongue out at him once she was settled in the back.

He let out another laugh as he hopped into his seat and then turned around to grin over his shoulder at her. "Since you were desperate enough to call me out tonight, I'll do my best to be a gentleman for ya."

She snorted and pointedly turned her face away. Idly she wondered what that would entail for him, but she tried not to imagine too much, just in case she might get her hopes up and enjoy herself.

* * *

The bar was crowded, to be expected on a Friday night, but Kid still got his usual high top by the pool tables for them, scaring off a couple guys with a particularly nasty snarl. Nami tried not to pay any mind to how he slung his arm over the back of her chair as they drank their pints while watching two drunks attempt to play pool, the whole game boiling down to a series of poor shots where the ball moved a few inches before it came to a stop, or shot over the table to smack into another patron when the player over-corrected and struck the cue too hard. It was amusing to watch, kept her distracted until she felt Kid's thumb brush over her arm and she had to chug her beer as she stifled the shivers that seemed to come more and more with his touch.

She had slowly become used to Kid's flirtatious advances, almost desensitized in some ways. She could overlook the more fleeting touches, but still became overwhelmed when he would make himself the sole focus of her attention. She was forgetting more and more that she was supposed to be pushing him away those times, not getting caught up in the sensations that came when he kept his arm wrapped around her waist, held close to his side as he whispered some teasing comment so only she could hear.

She didn't know what to think the times she caught herself genuinely flirting back.

She swears she never would have if she hadn't been given a reason that went by the name of Absalom.

"Shakky! Another pitcher!" Nami called out to the owner, grinning as she leaned over the counter. They had been there for about an hour, and so far she was having a good time, her boredom was eased, and she was glad she called the guys that night. Even Kid's flirting was tolerable at that point.

She didn't pay any mind to the person sliding up next to her, her attention on the older woman filling her pitcher a few feet away as she chatted with another patron. When she felt a knuckle running over her bare arm, she almost thought it was Kid, but a quick glance to her right showed the worst person in the world she could run into.

"Hey, Nami," the blond grinned, his scarred and sutured mouth that looked like a cat's snout making it look more animalistic. "Long time no see."

She felt all color drain from her face as she stared at Absalom, a shriek caught in her throat as she tried to move away but was trapped in the crowded bar. This man had tormented her for months when she was younger. A few creepy stares across the room turned into regular stalking and eventually he attempted to kidnap and assault her. Sanji had gotten to her while she was fighting the man off, and she never saw him again after her friend beat the shit out of him.

He was the reason she went to the park with a taser.

"Shakky! I'll be at the table!" She hollered and ducked under a guy's arm to escape the man she wanted no part in dealing with.

She startled Kid as he stood by the pool table watching Killer take his shot. The last thing he ever expected was for her to run up to him and abruptly wrap her arms around his waist, pressing herself as close to him as possible. He went stiff in her hold, stifling a confused grunt, and then his arm was carefully wrapped around her shoulders. She kept her face pressed to his chest, trying to calm her racing heart as she prayed this would be enough to keep that man from making a repeat of the last time she met him.

"What's wrong, Nami?" Kid asked lowly, not missing a beat with her abnormal behavior.

"Just play along," she whispered, letting out a shaky breath as she finally glanced back to the bar. Absalom was still there, his eyes glued to her, narrowed in annoyance as he watched her hug Kid.

"Who is he?" Kid growled, his hold on her shoulder suddenly tightening, and she realized he must have followed her gaze to see Absalom staring at her.

"He's nobody." She tried to reassure, but Kid pulled back enough to glare down at her, refusing to let her get away with that excuse again. "He stalked me a few years ago." She sighed, looking away as she prepared herself for his reaction to what she said next. "He tried to kidnap and assault me."

When she looked back up at him, she winced at the rage on his face, his hand becoming unbearably tight on her shoulder.

"Killer." At the one word command, his friend, who had come to stand beside them, curious of Nami's strange actions, began to head toward the bar as Kid pulled from her hold.

"Wait," she said frantically, reaching to snatch Killer by the wrist as she put her whole weight into blocking Kid's advance. She almost balked when Kid directed his heated glare at her, but she pressed on stubbornly. "I don't want any trouble. Sanji-kun was able to scare him off back then. He shouldn't bother me as long as I'm not alone, and especially if he sees I'm with you guys. I don't want this night ending with a fight."

Kid glanced back at the bar to see Absalom turning away to disappear into the crowd, his lips curled in a silent snarl as he looked back down at the woman holding him back. She could see him forcefully restraining himself, and she was amazed by how heavily he was breathing, feeling his large chest rise and fall noticeably under her hand where she held him back.

"Fine," he bit out, relaxing minutely as he wrapped his arm back around her. "If he touches one hair on your head, though, he's a dead man."

She nodded, knowing better than to argue with him on that, she was lucky enough he was backing down at all.

"You sure do attract trouble, Kitten," he added gruffly, lightening the mood as he tried to tease.

"Yeah," she let out a short laugh, pulling back to poke him in the stomach as she looked up at him. "And you're the most troublesome of all."

He threw his head back with a laugh. "Guess I am, yet here ya are clingin' to me." He grinned wolfishly down at her. "Ya like the trouble I've brought ya, just admit it."

"I can handle it better, is all," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"I hope you're right," he whispered lowly as he leaned down to her ear, lips brushing against the shell. She instinctively tried to push him back for some space, but his arm clasped tighter, pulling her against him. "You're the one who decided to start this little charade tonight, Kitten. Back out 'cause ya can't handle it, and that guy won't miss his first chance at ya. If you want to avoid me breaking his face in, then follow your own advice…" He paused, his head shifting as he glanced back toward the bar, and she knew Absalom must have been looking again if Kid's low growl was anything to go by. "Play along."

She gave a short nod, her hands clutching into the sleeveless shirt he wore beneath his open hoodie, forcing herself to stay close.

"Good girl," he breathed out heavily as he lingered next to her ear. She felt his nose trail over her jaw for a fleeting second, then he was pulling away to release her from his hold. "Now get back to the table and watch me kick Killer's ass at pool."

She laughed, stepping away toward their table to try to settle in again. She was still on edge when Kid smacked her backside playfully, but when she turned to glare at him and caught his amused grin, she actually found herself relaxing. He was just being himself, teasing her as he was prone to, and that made her feel better, more at ease.

If she was going to be stuck at a bar with her old stalker roaming around, then at least she was with two men she could trust to have her back.

She gave a coy wink, the man cackling as she sauntered over to the table to take a seat. Shakky was waiting for her with their new pitcher, curious about the abrupt escape.

"Don't worry," she reassured the owner. "Kid and Killer will handle it if anything happens."

"Are you sure?" Shakky said, glancing around the crowded room for the man who had frightened one of her favorite customers. "I can always just kick the creep out, Nami-chan."

"If you find him, that would make my life a lot easier, but that won't necessarily stop him once we're outside the bar. The guys should be deterrent enough."

Shakky hummed, not buying her confidence, but she surrendered to Nami's will with a heavy sigh. "Alright, but I'll still get rid of him the first chance I have. I don't need him causing any of the other girls here problems tonight, too."

Nami smiled and waved off the owner as she sat back to enjoy another drink and watch the boys play. Despite Kid's trash talk with Killer, she noticed he was a little off, his attention not entirely on the game as he missed shots he'd otherwise make. His eyes constantly searched the bar for Absalom, and she noticed his back was rigid any time he was turned away from her until Killer moved to stand opposite him, his friend reassuring him that she was being watched.

She hadn't expected this level of protectiveness from him just because of one guy, though she imagined she should have after what he did to the guy who called her a whore at the poker game. Even her own friends were capable of dividing their attention and relax when there was only a vague threat around, and they were extremely protective of her. She reasoned that Kid's short temper likely made it worse.

He wouldn't stand to see her get hurt because he let his guard down for a split second.

"Tsh," Kid grumbled after scratching on his last shot, sneering at the table for a second before turning to head over to her. She gave him a pitying smile as he stood beside her, his arm wrapping around her shoulder as he reached to fill his glass with more beer. Killer wandered off toward the bar with Kid's loss, saying he was going to get a snack and an extra pitcher to appease his friend with.

"Relax, Kid," she tried to tease with another poke to his waist.

"Can't," he grunted as his hip nudged against her leg, forcing his way to stand between them.

She sighed and reached to tug him closer by the waist of his jeans. He gave a startled grunt as he drank his beer, cocking a brow at her actions, but didn't fight her. He tangled his hand in her ponytail when she tilted her head back to look up at him with a thoughtful pout while her hands ran over his waist to wind behind his back in a lazy hug.

"Come on, there has to be something to take your mind off of him," she frowned.

She caught his eyes slip down, settling on her lips for a second before glancing back up to meet her gaze with a sly smirk. "I can think of quite a few things, but I'm sure ya don't wanna hear 'em."

"Gross, Kid." Her frown deepened, but she felt herself clench at the heat in his eyes. "Maybe I should have just let you beat him up."

"Probably," he chuckled as he set down his glass.

She was confused when he slipped from her hold, releasing her hair as he took a seat in the chair beside hers. She tried not to think about the lost warmth of his body, even as she felt oddly vulnerable without him blocking out the rest of the bar and whatever threat lurked in the crowd.

She wasn't without his touch for long, though, and squeaked in surprise when his arm worked around her waist and tugged her out of her chair.

"What are you-?" She started to ask, but the question was lost as he dragged her to stand between his legs, her back solidly held to his chest as his arms wound around her waist. She caught him frowning darkly out at the bar as he placed his chin on her shoulder, a clear warning in his gaze telling everyone there that she was off limits.

He was restraining his temper, but not his possessiveness.

With a defeated sigh, she let her weight sink back against him, his arms giving her a small, approving squeeze as she got comfortable.

"Are you planning to stay like this all night now?" She asked, glancing over at him with a teasing smile.

"Probably," came his one word answer, a little less amused even as he graced her with another smirk.

"Well, if that's the case…" she sighed again, and shifted in his hold to push herself into his lap so she wouldn't have to stand. He hummed low in his throat and leaned back as he helped her get comfortable, practically reclining in the tall chair with her laying against him. "That's better."

"Mhm," he hummed again, his body noticeably relaxing beneath her.

She told herself that it was merely because of the circumstances that she allowed his hand to tease beneath her tank top so his fingers could glide over the skin at her waist. She told herself that the way his breath was fanning over her as he turned his face to press against her neck didn't affect her at all. She told herself that she only felt so comfortable sitting with him like that was because she felt reassured in knowing he would keep her safe.

"This is going to take some getting used to," Killer mused lowly as he came back to the table, fresh pitcher and tray of appetizers in hand.

Kid grunted, his attention not diverted from the woman in his arms as he relaxed more and more with every breath he took. Nami frowned and looked away as Killer gave her a knowing smirk, deciding not to warrant his comment with a response.

He didn't need to get used to anything, it was only for as long as Absalom was roaming around. It wasn't permanent.

"Anyone else in your life we need to keep an eye on, Nami?" Killer asked, and Nami went stiff in Kid's hold.

"No." She answered automatically, biting her lip when Kid's arms squeezed her and he growled.

"Nami," he warned, but she refused to answer still, so he pulled his face from her neck with an irritated sigh to talk to Killer himself. "Those fishmen I was telling you about at the gambling hall- they gave Nami a scare and she won't tell me why."

"Fishmen?" Killer prompted, glancing at the girl who still refused to look at him.

"Yeah, all I know is it had to do with a mark they had." He leaned over to Nami's purse that sat on their table to dig around inside, his arm still at her waist tightening to keep her steady as he did.

"Hey! Don't go through my stuff!" She yelled, forgetting her discomfort as she swatted at his hand.

He ignored her, grunting as he smacked her hand away after pulling out a pen. She frowned when he reached for a napkin, removing the lid of the pen with his teeth, and carefully drawing out the mark that haunted her nightmares.

"One of 'em had a few tattoos, but they both had this same one that I could see," he explained, pushing the napkin across the table to his friend before settling back into his chair, pulling Nami with him who had gone completely pliant as she hid her eyes behind her bangs, and thoughtlessly reached up to grip her left shoulder. She didn't want to see that mark. "I asked around. Turns out it was used by a guy named Arlong." He paused when she winced at the name, his head tilting in her direction at the reaction as he went on. "Some fishmen are trying to take up whatever cause he had before he landed in jail. They've started a new gang, and a few of 'em went and got that tattooed to pay homage to the guy."

"Arlong, huh," Killer mused, glancing at her and then Kid before pocketing the sketch.

"Yeah, there's another mark all the guys have, apparently. A picture of a human with his head cut off in a ring of flames, a line slashing through it." Kid explained.

"Brutal."

Kid hummed in agreement, but Nami could feel his eyes on her, waiting to see if she would finally open up about what her connection to them was. She was surprised he actually looked into it, hunted down that much information off of the little bit she had given to him, but she still couldn't talk about it. At this point, her need to keep her distance from him wasn't even playing a part in her silence, it was just a topic she would never be comfortable discussing. Her own family of friends were in the dark on a lot of details, and she preferred to keep it that way.

It just hurt too much to think about.

She felt teeth grazing her neck without warning, breaking her from her darkened thoughts as she sat up straight with a startled shriek. She snapped her head around to glare at Kid as he snorted in amusement, her hand slapping to the spot he had been nipping at, willing away the faint tingle that she refused to admit she liked.

"Don't know where your head went for a minute, but ya back now?" He smirked cockily, but the strange flash of worry in his eyes gave away his intent.

He was distracting her from her trauma.

"Yeah," she sighed, sparing him one last hard glare before sinking back against his chest again. "Don't do that again."

He chuckled, held her tighter, and leaned in to nip at her ear. "Why? 'Cause ya like it too much."

She only answered with another dark look.

"This is seriously awkward," Killer groaned, distracting them as he grabbed a piece of garlic bread from the appetizer tray. "I never thought I'd miss you two fighting all the time."

Kid laughed as he grabbed his beer for a sip, and Nami crossed her arms with a huff, refusing to acknowledge the pink tinge to her cheeks.

"Go play a game with him, Nami," the larger man laughed as he swatted her thigh to signal she get up. "Maybe it'll get him to stop whining."

"Are you going to sit here and not go kill someone?" She asked jokingly, turning to point an accusatory finger at him as she stood between his legs.

"Yeah, yeah, I told ya I wouldn't unless he did something. Ya have my word." He grabbed her by the finger and tugged her back in against him so he could whisper in her ear. "Plus I'd rather watch ya bending over that table, Kitten."

"I thought you said you would be a gentleman tonight?" She smacked his chest.

"I'm being damn gentlemanly. If I wasn't, then you'd know it 'cause I'd be takin' full advantage of you throwin' yourself at me."

"I'm not throwing myself at you." She huffed, trying to push away from him, only to have his arm snake around her again. "And it looks to me like you're taking advantage of it plenty."

He chuckled, and she couldn't hold back her shiver, or hide how her breath hitched, as his nose passed over the skin on her neck, his amusement turning into a groan when he noticed her reaction. "Trust me, I'm killin' myself holdin' back."

When he released her after his last remark, she stepped back to look at him, her gaze wary and curious, but she could see the strain in his jaw as he looked back at her, and the way his hands balled into fists after letting go of her. Seeing that, she believed him when he said he was holding back, and she appreciated the gesture more than she thought she would.

She didn't say a word as she turned to the pool table, and Killer waiting impatiently there after racking up. The only response she spared him came as a light pat on his thigh, a small token of thanks.

* * *

"I'll be right back," she announced later in the night, standing from the table to stretch before turning toward the bathroom.

"Oi, hold up." Kid glanced at her from where he and Killer had taken to playing darts, a change in pace for the night. He frowned, looked around the bar, and then nudged his head toward her purse still sitting on the table. "Don't forget that."

She cocked her head to the side until she remembered what she kept in her handbag, and gave a resolute nod, snatching her bag. She felt both guys watching her back as she walked away, reminding her that she wasn't out of danger, even though they hadn't seen Absalom since the run in earlier, at least no more than a flash of blond hair that could have come from anyone. Shakky said he had been staying out of her own sight, practically invisible.

While they had managed to relax again over the course of the night, or at least she had, Kid never seemed to let Absalom's lingering presence leave his mind. His guard never fell, not unless she was safely tucked away in his arms, his attention diverted as he teased and flirted while he had the chance. She hated to admit, even to herself, that she was enjoying that part. It distracted her from her worries, and her confidence in his ability to protect her kept her anxiety at bay.

She was finishing up in the bathroom, washing her hands at the sink, when she heard the door to the second stall open. Someone had gone in while she was using the other stall, but she didn't pay them any mind, not until there was movement in the mirror that prompted her to glance up.

Her eyes went wide at the fanged grin behind her. In a rush of adrenaline, she spun, letting out a scream as she kicked at Absalom's stomach when he advanced on her. He grunted, took a step back, his grin gone, but he snapped his hand out to grab her by the wrist before she could run by him. She screamed again, fighting his hold while her free hand dug in her bag.

"Shut up," he hissed, his other hand clasping over her mouth as he pressed his face close to hers. "No one's going to save you this time, Nami. I will have you. Now and forever."

She screamed behind his hand, fighting back tears as her hand found the comforting shell of plastic in her purse. Steeling her gaze, pushing away her fear, she yanked her hand out of her purse and slammed her taser into his neck. He howled in pain, forced to release her as he fell back while his body spasmed out of his control.

She took the opening and bolted for the door, slamming it open and letting out the loudest scream she could muster through her intense fear.

"Kid!"

She was just about through the door when his arm was snacking around her waist and dragging her back in as she thrashed in his hold. His hand went back to her mouth, muffling her cries.

He left her dazed when he slammed her into the tiled wall, her head smacking with a dull thud that left her vision swimming as her body went limp for a split second. It was all he needed, and she felt tears stream down her face as she felt his tongue trailing up her neck. Her struggles were in vain as he pinned her arms beside her head.

"Kid," she whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut while she tried to kick Absalom away.

It only took a split second, but suddenly the blond was torn away from her with an enraged growl. She blinked open her wet eyes at the loud crash that followed and all she could see was Kid's massive back standing in front of her, blocking her from her attacker.

"You alright, Nami?" He grunted, not taking his gaze off of the man who was crumpled beside the toilet in a stall, struggling to get up after being literally thrown off of her.

"Y-yeah," she nodded quietly.

She watched as he slipped off his hoodie, revealing thick, corded muscles and a cybernetic arm that seemed to be tightening into the cuff at his shoulder, preparing for whatever force he was about to put on it. He tossed the jacket back at her before moving to crack the knuckles on his right hand and stretch his neck, releasing a loud pop as he loosened it.

"Hold on to that for me." He stepped forward as Absalom finally managed to stand, the other man's gaze held steadily on the large man in front of him as he wiped away a small trickle of blood from his nose. "Killer's out in the hall."

She didn't need to be told what he meant by that, and she tightened her hold on his hoodie before bolting out to the hall and Killer's waiting arms. She just barely caught a glimpse of the angry, sadistic grin on Kid's face before the door closed behind her and he launched himself at Absalom.

She kept glancing back at the bathroom at the crashing, shouting, and tell-tale sounds of flesh and bone being beaten, not sparing Killer more than a fraction of her attention as he cradled her face and inspected her for injuries.

"Haven't seen Kid take off that fast in a long time," she vaguely heard Killer mutter as he turned her head to look at the back of it, not liking how she winced when his fingers brushed over the bruising tissue from when she hit her head. "Even punched a guy who got in his way after hearing you scream his name."

She hummed, acknowledging the comment, even as her gaze landed back on the door to the restroom and the sudden, eerie silence that came from within.

"Well, there's no blood." Killer muttered while she listened to the sound of a faucet running. "But no more drinking tonight, just in case you have a concussion."

She nodded in understanding just as Kid threw the door open and stomped out wiping the lingering blood from his hands with a paper towel. Her eyes went wide at the sight of Absalom's arm lying motionless on the floor, blood spattered on the floor around it while the rest of his body was out of view.

"He's still alive," Kid grunted at Shakky who was standing against the wall, smoking calmly as she waited. "Barely."

"Thank you," she sighed out a puff of smoke. She didn't like people being murdered in her establishment, no matter the reason. Her eyes trailed over to the crowd who had stopped their drinking and partying when she screamed and Kid ran off for her. She pointed to a tall lanky man, scars on his face and neck. "You there. You were with that guy tonight. Get him out of here and to a hospital. Make sure you forget the big guy's face if the cops ask you about it, too."

Two malicious glares from Kid and Killer got the guy moving fast with a startled yelp, and he disappeared into the bathroom to take care of his friend. Nami was pretty sure she heard him retch the moment he got inside.

Nami was pulled from Killer's hold the second the door shut again, drawing her attention to Kid as his eyes swept over her, doing his own cursory inspection.

"Back of her head's bruised, but she seems fine otherwise." Killer explained, his friend merely responding with a grunt.

"Saw ya tased him in the throat. Surprised that wasn't enough to take him down." Kid grumbled, his hand on her chin, tilting her head side to side as he continued to look her over despite his friend's comment. When she only gave him a shrug, he finally let his eyes settle on hers, a hard frown on his face. "You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," she said and his frown only deepened. "A bruise on my head, and I'm going to scrub my neck until it's raw when I get home, but otherwise I'll live. At least I still have all my clothes on."

Wrong thing to say as he sneered and snapped his head to the bathroom just as the door opened to reveal Absalom being dragged out awkwardly by his friend. "I should've killed him."

"Calm down, Kid." Killer said, setting a hand on the man's shoulder.

Kid held back, but snarled as he watched all the patrons of the bar part to let the bloody and broken body pass as he hung off the guy's back. Some of the people watched in fascination, sending Kid a respectful nod for his work in taking out the creep. Others had to look away, visibly unsettled at the face that was twisted and battered to the point it wasn't recognizable anymore.

Nami couldn't look. She had seen men in worse condition in her life. She had seen innocent people lying in pools of blood, never to get back up again. Even if that man was far from innocent, the violence Kid unleashed on him left her slightly shaken, flashes of unwanted memories coming to her mind.

"Ya wanna get out of here?" Kid's gruff voice broke her out of her dark thoughts, and she forced herself to swallow her anxiety and bile that threatened to rise in her stomach with it.

She stared up at him thoughtfully. She knew it was probably for the best she go home after that, but as she watch Kid visibly relax now that the immediate threat was taken care of, she found herself wanting to stay.

While some part of her was terrified of him, of his violent anger, she trusted that she would never see it except when she was the one in danger, just like that night. It was a strangely comforting thought to know a man like Kid was on your side.

She wanted to stay so she wouldn't be alone, so she could feel safe in his imposing shadow a little longer.

"No," she answered after a moment, forcing a tiny smile to ease his concern with her answer. "I'm not ready to go home yet."

Kid stared, uncertain in her decision, but gave a grunt and turned to wrap his arm around her while holding out his hand to take his hoodie back. "Whatever ya want, Kitten."

"Thanks," she sighed while sinking against his side, his answer coming with a squeeze of her shoulder, and she felt like she could rest easy for the rest of the night.

* * *

"You don't have to walk me to my door, Kid," Nami huffed as his arm clasped around her again.

It was two in the morning and the trio was finally ready to end their eventful night. Nami was sobered up after the hit to her head, but Kid had calmed the last of his temper with a few more drinks, making him far more stubborn. He hadn't let her get far from his hold for the last hour they were at the bar, she always had to be in reach, even though everyone in the bar knew to keep their distance from her now.

Despite her protest, she was glad that he was walking her upstairs while Killer waited in the car. After what happened earlier, she couldn't help but feel paranoid. There were too many ghosts of her past coming back to haunt her lately, and she was more aware than ever of the dangers around her.

"Ya don't mean that, so don't even try to argue, Nami," Kid grunted as they headed up the stairs, his weight sinking against her slightly. He was tired now that the adrenaline from earlier had worn off and the liquor had sunk back in.

She pouted up at him, earning a lazy chuckle as his hand moved from her shoulder to wrap around her head with a few playful pats.

"And don't look at me like that. Too temptin'," he drawled and she immediately pulled her lip back in. His amusement faded into a thoughtful frown as she stared down at her. "Damn… still temptin'."

She turned away and sighed in relief when they reached her door.

She didn't like how her thoughts were telling her to let him give in to that temptation.

"Thanks again for tonight, Kid," she said while shrugging out of his hold and turning her back to him as she unlocked her door.

"Anytime, Kitten," he grunted. "'Cept I'd rather not have to beat a guy like that again."

She glanced back at him, brows knit in confusion. She knew Kid had no qualms in beating anyone up, he said so himself. She didn't understand what might be different about that night.

"I don't like the circumstances," he explained with a stoic frown. "I'll beat the shit out of any guy ya want me to, Nami. Trust me on that. But if I ever see a guy doing that shit to you again…" He trailed off while his hand reached out to brush over her neck and the spot Absalom had been licking her. She flinched slightly at the touch, as gentle as it was, and his gaze hardened on her. "I'll tear apart anyone who touches my girl."

She frowned at the possessive comment again, but she couldn't find it in her to argue it like she always did, not after that night.

"Kid," she sighed, turning back to her door to push it open, the only half-hearted reprimand she could find the energy to give.

She was startled when his arms wrapped around her waist, preventing her from going inside her apartment as he pulled her against his chest. She stiffened in his hold on instinct, but forced herself to relax when she felt his breath fanning over her neck again.

It felt so much better than Absalom's tongue earlier.

"What are you doin' tomorrow night?" He asked, and she knew he meant later that day. It was too late to know what day it was anymore.

"I don't know. A lot of my friends are still out of town, and I haven't made any plans with the others." She answered quietly, biting her lip to hold back the content hum when she felt his lips press to her skin. He wasn't kissing her, she could feel him frowning against her neck as his hold tightened on her, and she somehow knew he was restraining himself like he had been earlier.

"Come over," he said and she shut her eyes as she felt his lips brush over her as he spoke.

"I'll think about it." She could feel him smirk, his body sinking against her more.

"The guys and I are playing poker," he chuckled lowly. "You can have a shot at stealing our money honestly."

She hummed a quiet laugh that she couldn't stop from turning into a moan when he let out a heavy sigh and gave into the urge to nip at her neck. She wasn't thinking anymore when she sank back against him, her head tilting as he nipped again, his lips ghosting over her as he trailed up to her ear. He was kissing her now, just behind her ear, and her mind was fogging over, forgetting that she wasn't supposed to like it.

"Should I take it that you're coming over?" He groaned into her ear as his mouth wrapped around the lobe, sucking and licking it as his control slipped more and more.

"I'll think about it," she forced herself to say. She took an unsteady breath as he chuckled again and she finally felt some reason return as she gently pushed him away. He didn't resist save for a disappointed grunt, and released her so she could escape inside. "Good night, Kid."

She spared him a short glance over her shoulder once through her door, forcing her expression to look as blank and cold as she could. She had years of practice, but she found it harder to hold that distant look as she caught him staring hungrily at her lips. He finally met her gaze again, grunting and shoving his hands in his pockets before turning away.

"Night, Nami. I'll see ya later."

She sank back against the door as soon as it was shut, her head falling against the wood. She let out a heavy, exhausted sigh, her eyes shut, trying to calm her racing heart and fight the urge to call out to him... to let him inside.

The things that man was doing to her head.

She didn't have control anymore.

* * *

**So hopefully that didn't get people too shaken with Absalom, but he made for perfect fodder, and I like him as a contrast to Kid because I don't see Kid as the type to cross that line and force himself on a woman. He'll skirt it, yeah, and his behavior can certainly be harassing, but I see him as the type who would rather a woman actually want him and show a genuine interest in him. He's got a huge ego and a lot of pride, and as much as he likes control and to have power over someone, he sees himself above that kind of behavior, at least in my mind he does. It's behavior he sees as detestable in general, and absolutely sickening and loathsome when directed at someone he sees as being apart of his group, someone he gives a damn about.**

**Again, that's my view of his character, personally.**

**Anyway, next chapter might be posted as an edited version, with the full version on my tumblr just because... well... *whistles innocently*.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Warning: This chapter contains explicit sexual content. I chose not to edit it, primarily because I know a lot of you were curious about the difference between Law x Nami sex and Kid x Nami sex with how I was going to write it, and I wanted to make sure you got a good idea of that (because yes, it is very different in my head). Also, Kid demands explicit smut. If I get any flamers, I will edit this and post the full version to my tumblr.**

**Also, I had a little too much fun describing Kid's house. I just like imagining his house, okay. It's actually pretty nice considering four single men live there, lol.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.**

* * *

_A Step Toward the Inevitable_

Nami awoke late the next morning, sprawled out in her bed on her stomach, staring blankly at the bit of light streaming into her room through the curtains. She was surprised she slept at all; memories, images, and sensations of the night before having plagued her mind for most of the night.

When she wasn't shivering from the way her skin crawled every time she remembered Absalom and what he did, she was shivering in a completely different way when she thought of Kid's touches. He had worked his way under her skin and she couldn't quite figure out how, or if it was really a bad thing.

She could admit, at least to herself as she lay in bed willing away the memory of his lips fluttering over her neck, that she was attracted to him. Physically speaking, that actually didn't surprise her. He was strong, the type of guy she would gravitate toward out of pure survival instinct. He was intelligent, even if he rarely showed it, and conversations with him were never boring, though they could drive her nuts. He had some appeal, but overall… he still scared her. He was violent and short tempered, and even if he only had verbal arguments with her that quickly blew over, he was still fairly unpredictable to her. And then there was his possessiveness.

Last night it worked in her favor. She had a surprisingly loyal and ferocious guard in him. She couldn't allow him to be that way all the time, though. She couldn't stand to be seen like a piece of property and less like an independent human.

Arlong saw her as a piece of property. That might have been a very different type of relationship, but that trait was similar enough that it left her on edge.

Maybe it wasn't quite the same, though. Maybe it was only worsened because of the strange limbo she had let herself fall into with him. Maybe if there was some stability between them he would calm down. Her rational side screamed _bullshit_ at those excuses, but still she wondered. He wasn't all bad. He was a territorial asshole who reveled in making people he saw as enemies suffer, but he had his charming side beneath it all that left her curious if he might bring that out more and more over time.

He had so much potential, maybe he could be _better_.

She groaned at her idiotic thoughts and buried her face in her pillow. She knew what she was doing, she was trying to lend reason to feelings that held no ration whatsoever. Her body was telling her one thing, her mind another, and in between lay her confused heart, uncertain of what she should do with the man who she couldn't stop thinking about.

_She hated him for making her feel so confused_.

She groaned again when her phone rang. She didn't really feel like talking to anyone. Maybe if she ignored it, they'd just go away.

She closed her eyes to blissful silence when it cut to voicemail. Whoever it was could leave a message if it was important.

She cursed when the phone rang again a minute later- someone had better be in the hospital or she'd put them there herself.

Stretching her hand out, she snatched her phone off the nightstand and glared at the screen and who was calling.

Was he psychic? Did he just know to call when she happened to be thinking about him? Bastard.

"What, Kid?" She answered shortly, flopping her head back onto the pillow as she held the phone to her ear.

"Well aren't you chipper this morning," he responded flatly, an irritated tick in his voice at the rude greeting.

"I just woke up and I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone." She explained, hoping he might get the picture and end the call quickly, or at least not take her foul mood personally. Sure, it was his fault, in her mind, that she was in a bad mood, but he didn't need to know that, especially if it meant he'd get pissed off over it.

"Fine, this'll be quick." She sighed in relief at those words. "You coming over tonight?"

Her next sigh was full of annoyance. "I said I would think about it."

"I just need to know since we're going to the liquor store- want to make sure we have enough to handle you and your inhuman tolerance."

She found herself snorting at the excuse before groaning again. "I don't know," she whined. "I just woke up, Kid. I haven't even taken a shower. Hell, I'm still in bed, the last thing I care to think about is tonight."

"Geez, pain in the ass," he grumbled. "Just make up your damn mind, shouldn't be that hard."

"Well obviously it's a lot harder than you think!" She raised her voice, unhappy with the attitude.

"What's so fuckin' hard about it!? Either you want to come over, or you don't! Just pick one!" He began to yell back, his temper thinning with hers.

She whined and buried her face in her pillow. Why was this so hard? "I don't know."

"Fuckin'-" He growled. "You're comin' over. There. Decision made."

"What!? You can't just decide for me!" She screamed into her phone.

"Tough shit! You can't make a damn decision, then I'll do it for you!"

"Why can't you just be patient and wait a few hours for me to make up my mind on my own!?"

"Because I want to make sure you're coming over!"

"Well maybe I was going to, anyway, you don't need to be an ass and pressure me into it!"

"I'm not pressuring you into anything! If you don't want to come over, then fucking stay home, for all I care!"

"Well maybe I don't want to stay home!"

She heard him growl, his voice suddenly becoming distant as he pulled his phone away to snarl a number of curses. She almost felt bad for setting his temper off, but she did not appreciate being ordered around. If she was even going to entertain the idea of pursuing… _whatever_ this was, then he needed to learn some boundaries.

"Nami?" He bit out, smothering his temper. "Do you _want_ to come over?"

She let herself calm down, humming to herself in thought. She did like the idea of watching their defeated expressions as she took all their money, but she was still confused about Kid. There was that push and pull inside of her, one side wanted to see him again- desperately, even- and another side wanted to hide and was kicking her for even answering the phone in the first place.

She let out a long sigh.

"I want to," she said, pausing to hear him release an exhausted breath, "but I'm still not sure."

"If you want to come over, then just come over, there's nothing to think about." He groaned tiredly at her continued silence. "_I_ want you to come over. _You_ want to come over. What else is there to consider?"

She frowned thoughtfully. He had a point.

"Is this about last night?" He asked suddenly and her eyes shot wide. He didn't need to hear her answer, apparently, and he let out a grunt, a heavy rush of air as he seemed to fall back wherever he was at- the couch or his bed, she idly wondered what to picture. "It's just poker and some drinks. That's it. The guys'll be here, too. There's nothing to worry about."

She highly doubted that, not with how little control she had around him now.

"Fine," she sighed. "I'll come. What time do you want me there?"

"Seven." She swore he was grinning now. Did he really want to see her again that badly? "Ya want anything specific from the store? Or you good with anything?"

"A good wine," she smiled, feeling a little better with the decision made. She felt anxious still, but it was different, less uncertain, more anticipating and excited about spending another night with Kid and his friends. She never imagined she would look forward to seeing him two days in a row.

"You like red, right?"

"Yep," her smile widened. "Is Killer making anything, or should I eat before coming over?"

"He's making a few snacks, I think. Nothin' much. It's up to you. If you're hungry, you know he'll feed you anything you want." He snorted. "Don't know how, but ya got him wrapped around your little finger."

"Talent of mine." She said proudly, laughing along with him. "Pretty sure you're no different than he is."

"Maybe." His chuckle trailed into a low hum. "Alright, then I'll see ya tonight. Look forward to seein' what ya pick out to distract us with."

She laughed again, her eyes going to her closet as she began to wonder what she should wear. "I'll probably disappoint you. I can't have you getting too distracted, you might decide you don't want to play poker at all."

"True," he admitted easily, his voice taking an even lower note that made her stomach flip and her whole body heat. "But I said we're playin' poker, nothin' else… Unless ya have somethin' else on your mind, Kitten."

"Nope, just poker," she hummed teasingly. "I'll see you later."

"Later," he chuckled.

When she hung up, she pulled her pillow over her head to muffle her confused whimper.

She shouldn't be this excited about a poker game.

* * *

Kid's neighborhood wasn't one of the best- unsurprising- but his house was better kept than most of the others on his block.

The split level home had a dark stucco and stone façade, metallic fixtures added with the door and lights, as well as the two car garage. The front yard wasn't really a yard, merely stones and a few spindly trees that looked like they had seen better days, but somehow held onto life.

Apparently no one in Kid's house had much of a green thumb.

There was a walkway that lead from the driveway to a covered porch that was barren save for a black metal bench and a stucco pot that looked to serve as an ashtray. There was a bay window that gave a view of a small living room that she knew Kid and his friends never used; the couch served as a place to toss coats and bags. It was closed off from the rest of the house, felt like it was meant to be formal, and just didn't fit with the four men living there.

Just off the living room were stairs up to three of the bedrooms. A master with its own bathroom that Killer used, and two average sized spaces for Wire and Heat that overlooked the front of the house. The two men were forced to share a small hall bath. Further into the house was the kitchen and dining area. There was a formal dining room, but like the front living room, it was never used except for storage and a place to stash a keg if they had a big enough house party, which they rarely did.

Next to the kitchen and dinette area was the den, the main living space that she had slept in one night. She knew that outside, through the door that lead to the back porch and yard, there was a large shed that served as Kid's space to work on his hobbies, something she still didn't know much about.

There was a door in the den that lead down to the basement that Kid had converted into his own room, complete with a full size bath and even a small living space all for himself.

She had learned while waiting for Kid to get ready the morning after she had slept there, that he actually owned the house, or at least was majority owner. Killer had invested a share on the purchase, but Kid was listed as the owner and had put in a great deal of work renovating the structure that hadn't been in great condition when they bought it. It was the reason they let him have the basement to himself- he was the one who made it possible they could live there. She had been impressed, and idly realized later, that maybe she shouldn't have been so surprised when he was interested in her bike, but construction and mechanics didn't always go hand in hand, so not a connection she was inclined to make.

She never pictured him to be a home owner at twenty-three, but apparently Kid was more responsible than he appeared.

When she rid up to the house that night, she noticed the garage door open, Kid standing outside in shorts and a t-shirt with Wire, the lanky man smoking a cigarette. She didn't miss the way Kid's lip pulled into a lopsided smirk the second he saw her, and she was surprised when the look made her face warm with a slight blush beneath her helmet's shield.

He gestured toward his garage and a small space left open behind his SUV, signaling she pull her bike inside.

"Been some punks stealin' shit in the neighborhood," he explained as she pushed her bike past him. "Usually their too scared t'come near my place, but I'd rather not risk it."

"Thanks," she nodded before finally slipping off her helmet, hoping her blush had dissipated. She hung her helmet off a handle and ran her fingers through her hair, mussing up the light waves and making sure it didn't lay flat after being inside a helmet.

When she glanced at Kid again, she noticed he had his arms crossed as he leaned against the garage door's frame, his eyes glued to her and his right hand balled into a tense fist. His gaze looked distant, like his mind was off in another place as he frowned, and she had a good feeling as to where his thoughts lay.

She cursed internally when she felt her cheeks warm again.

Clearing her throat, she turned away from him, sparing him a hidden glance through a veil of her hair when she heard him grunt. He blinked, gave his head a tiny shake, and finally looked away again.

When she slipped off her leather jacket to stash in the storage compartment, though, she immediately felt his gaze land on her. Curious, she looked back to see he was staring intently at her upper back and shoulders exposed by her blue halter top. It was different from earlier, a mixture of confusion and curiosity in his gaze, and then she realized what spot he was staring at.

Her hand automatically went to grasp the scar that ran from her shoulder to her back. Her tattoo helped conceal part of it, but not the whole jagged mark where it extended onto her shoulder blade. She knew it wasn't the prettiest, and she was never self-conscious about it, but it was a part of that past she didn't like to discuss.

With her hand covering the scar, Kid's eyes immediately shot back up to hers. She kept her gaze as closed off and guarded as possible, and after a moment of searching it, he grunted and turned to go into the house through the garage.

"Come on, Kitten, let's get ya a drink before we start playin'."

Shaking off the strange moment, she smiled and followed him, brushing by Wire who gave her a tiny smirk and a polite nod in greeting as he finished his cigarette.

Once inside, wine glass in hand, Nami collapsed onto the couch as she watched Heat finish setting up the poker table. Kid fell into the spot beside her, his arm draping over the back behind her head, and grinned at her when she looked up at him.

"What?" She huffed, fighting off the urge to blush again.

"Ya really were serious about not dressin' to distract," he chuckled, looking over her simple top and khaki capris. The only part of her whole outfit that could be used to distract came from the hint of cleavage at the keyhole created where the halter strap crossed over her chest, and the small swell of breast that could be seen from the side if she moved her arms away. Otherwise, she was dressed more modestly, just as she planned.

She shrugged. "I don't think I need to with you guys. Plus, this is just a friendly game, it doesn't come with the same stakes an open tournament would."

"Got a point," he grunted and took a sip of scotch. "You're still distractin'," he mumbled into his glass, his eyes trailing down to her chest shamelessly.

She couldn't help but smirk deviously, her hand reaching out to brush over his thigh as she began to push herself up from the couch. Heat was done with the table, and Killer was setting a few snacks out nearby; it was time to start stealing all their money.

"Good to know it doesn't take much, Kid," she teased lowly, her hand still on his thigh as she glanced back at him before standing straight. Her smile grew at his sharp intake of breath and the way his right hand balled into a fist. "But at least try to make the game interesting."

"Interesting, huh?" He hummed as she stood up and sauntered by him to the table. She glanced back to see his eyes glued to her hips with another lopsided smirk. "I think I can do that, Kitten."

She didn't realize until later that she might have opened a door she shouldn't have.

* * *

"Don't worry, Killer," Nami laughed as she raked in a pile of chips, "you can always start betting the interest you guys still owe me from your bail." She laughed again when he glowered at her through his bangs. "Don't look at me like that. You might get lucky and not owe me a dime."

"She's ruthless," Kid barked a loud laugh, his own chip count holding steady after three hours. "What d'ya say? Gonna rack up some more debt tonight?"

"I think I'll pass." Killer grunted, picking himself up from his seat and stretching. "Plus it's getting late. After being out babysitting you two last night, I'm calling it a night early."

"Tsh, wuss," the younger man chuckled as he downed another glass of scotch. He turned to look at his other two roommates lounging on the couch. Heat and Wire had run out of chips an hour earlier, the two men settling in to watch a movie and the continuing game as they drank. "What about you two? Ask the little devil over here nicely, maybe she'll let you bet that debt of yours."

"Nah, we're not that stupid," Heat muttered while Heat yawned next to him.

"Then I guess it's down to you and me, Kitten," Kid grinned at her.

"Let me get a refill on my wine," she said as she got up from her seat beside him. She made sure to nudge him with her hip and ruffle his hair as she walked by, giving him a coy wink. "Then I hope you're prepared to hand over the pretty pile of cash to me."

"You sure are talkin' big just 'cause you have a small lead," he chuckled as he got up to follow her to the kitchen to get his own refill. He grabbed her tight around the waist and pulled her back against his chest, grinning against her ear. "You havin' fun, or do we need to find a way to make the game more interesting?"

She swatted at his arm playfully to escape to her nearly empty second bottle of wine. "I think you've done fine keeping it interesting so far, Kid."

"Hmm, too bad," he said as he slid up to the counter beside her, his full attention still on her. "Was thinkin' with the guys droppin' out, we can switch it up and start bettin' clothes."

"Kid!" She laughed despite the reprimand, her mood too good to care about his shameless flirting. They had been at it all night, though she still found herself claiming that her flirtatious gestures were merely to win the money everyone bought in with, and not the attraction she had toward him.

"Just a suggestion." He said, cocky smirk not fading, as he reached for his bottle of scotch.

"Yeah, I think I'm definitely going to bed," Killer groaned as he came into the kitchen with a few dishes and bottles from the den. "I don't know how much longer I can be in the same room as you two when you're getting along like this."

"He's right, Boss," Heat began to say as he came in with a few more things, a drowsy Wire stumbling along behind him. "I don't want to be around when you two start making out on the poker table."

Nami nearly spit out her wine as she sipped at it, and Kid, despite the fact he probably wanted to do just that, growled and threw a towel in the man's face. Apparently he didn't like being teased about his relationship, or whatever it was, with her so bluntly. Or maybe he just didn't want it to scare her off.

"Just go to bed, you idiots," Kid grumbled, shoving Heat in the shoulder as he headed back to the den.

After a few more jabs at Kid from his friends, some good nights to her, Nami found herself alone with the man who had been plaguing her thoughts more and more recently. She didn't know what to think about it, other than she was strangely glad for the time alone.

"Sorry 'bout that," he grunted as she took her seat again.

"It's fine. I'm used to being teased by friends over everything." She waved it off easily. It really didn't bother her, outside of the initial shock, but at least now she knew his reaction to it had more to do with her.

She stretched out on her chair as he shuffled the deck of cards. She had kicked off her shoes early in the game, and now she was carefully perching her bare foot on the edge of his chair, her toes curling and running over his thigh lightly. She had been teasing him most of the night that way, distracting him. He had said when they played pool together, to try to get up close and personal when looking to throw him off, and she found it worked a bit better than peeks of cleavage.

She let out a small yawn as she took up the cards he dealt her, trying to ignore how tired she was getting as she focused on her cards.

"You doin' alright there? Not gonna fall asleep on me before I win, are ya?" He smirked as his right hand reached down to drag his knuckles over her ankle. He'd been doing that a lot during the night, too.

"I'm fine. I can stay awake until dawn if I have to. Whatever it takes to pocket that money myself." She stuck her tongue out at him and nudged his leg with her foot while tossing some cards away. "Give me two."

"Don't push yourself, Nami," he chuckled, removing his hand from her to deal her the new cards and discard a few of his own. "You're just going to lose."

"That's funny coming from the man who only has a third of the chips." She tossed in some chips. She had a decent hand.

"Not for long." He raised her.

"Nope, because soon I'll have them all." She called.

"Three jacks." He laid out his cards, and she smiled.

"Flush."

"Damn."

"I told you. I'm going to win that money." She laughed, taking the chips and then the deck of cards for her turn to deal. "You can always surrender and get it over with."

"Hell no. You should know I never give up when I want something." He said, reaching down to give her calf a tight squeeze.

She glanced up at him as she shuffled, trying to maintain as blank an expression as she could. She didn't need to see his crocked grin to know the hidden meaning behind what he said.

She didn't say anything, she didn't need to as her foot slid further up along his thigh and his hand ran over her calf, beneath her capris. There was nothing that needed to be said as she dealt the next hand.

* * *

It was nearing midnight and it didn't look like they would have a definitive winner any time soon. Their chip stacks were just about even, the last half an hour they hardly changed after Kid managed to win a big enough pot to get back in the game with her.

She was tired, but refused to lose to him. She had her feet crossed in his lap at that point, lazily stretched out as she leaned her head on a fist while staring at her cards. Kid wasn't much better. He still had the mind to keep running his hand over her leg as he leaned over the table, but he wasn't talking as much as he tried to stay focused.

"Might be up until dawn at this rate," he mumbled while turning over his cards. Queen high straight.

"Mmm," she hummed in agreement while tossing her cards onto the table. Two pair. He won.

"Alright, fuck it. Count your chips." He ordered after taking his latest winnings.

She was too tired to argue and was curious to know what he was thinking, so she sat up straight, letting her legs fall from his lap, and carefully counted out her stacks.

She had a two chip lead.

"Next hand wins it," he declared, shoving his chips in. "I refuse to call it a draw. One of us is walking away with that money tonight."

"I think I can live with that." She managed a smile as she took the deck. It was her turn to deal again.

"Three cards," he said gruffly, tossing away the ones he didn't want. Good sign for her, possibly.

She gave him his cards, paid careful attention to his tired scowl, and then discarded and dealt her own.

She was going to need some help.

"Fuck. Pair." Kid groaned, tossing his cards down to show the two nines he had.

She smiled apologetically and his face fell even more. "Pair of tens."

"Damn it. Shit hands to end on." He was too lazy to care that he lost anymore as he leaned back in his chair and ran his hands over his face. "You're comin' over the next poker night, though. I'll win that money back from you."

"We'll see about that," she laughed lightly, mindlessly shuffling the deck again. The stack of buy-in money was still at the center of the table, she would grab it when she left. "You calling it a night?"

He pushed his hands into his messy red hair. He had tossed away his bandana when they were alone, letting his hair fall over his forehead. She had to say, she liked the disheveled look on him, especially with how he was looking at her now, lips set in a thoughtful frown.

"Depends." She cocked her head at his strange answer as he sat up straight again. "You gonna stay the night?"

"If you don't mind. It's late and I'm too tired to ride home now."

"You know you're welcome to stay whenever you want," he grunted. "And since that's the case, let's play one more game."

She raised a brow as he dragged himself from his seat and ambled to the kitchen. His steps were lazy, a little off balance. She knew he had drank a fair amount, but she suspected the change in his gait was because of the hour. She knew she was only feeling a bit more than a buzz, but her own exhaustion was worsening it.

He came back to the room with two shot glasses, a bottle of tequila, and some salt.

"Out of limes," he said as he set everything down between them. "This'll do, though."

"A drinking game?" She smiled in amusement.

"Just a quick one." He gestured for the cards and she handed them over. "Low card takes a shot."

She laughed, but played along. She wasn't ready to sleep yet, even if she was tired.

When he held out the deck, she drew her card. A two. She pouted at him as he cackled and drew a card, easily beating her with a six.

"Drink up." He grinned, pushing her a shot.

She didn't even grimace as she tilted it back after a small taste of salt. They went back and forth a few times like that, mostly even with a few draws, their warm buzz becoming more apparent as they went.

"That scar," Kid brought up as she downed another shot. She tried to glare at him in warning, but he ignored it. "Who gave it to you?"

"No one," she answered easily. It was technically the truth.

"Nami," he growled, unhappy with her constant avoidance.

"It happened in the past, Kid. It's not important." She said while taking the deck from him. He lost this time.

"When in the past?" He asked while tossing back his shot.

"Two years ago. A few months before we met." She handed him back the cards.

"What happened?" She scowled at the question. Next round was a draw.

"I don't want to talk about it, Kid." Another draw, and he glared at her stubbornly. "Why do you care so much?"

"'Cause I do," he shrugged. His loss the next round. "I'll just keep buggin' you until you tell me."

"You never seemed the type to push someone for information on their past." Her loss this time.

"Tsh, I do when they're being stubborn and constantly refusing to tell me anything. I know ya dealt with some bad shit, I just want to know what." Another draw. "Does it have to do with that Arlong guy?"

She set down the cards and sent him a look that clearly told him to back off. She was not in the frame of mind to discuss that with him.

"Alright, I get it. Stop lookin' at me like that." He took the deck from her. Draw. "You'll tell me someday, though."

She shrugged and took back the cards. They sat in a solemn silence as they continued to play. After another series of draws, Nami felt they needed to break the tense atmosphere again.

She might not like to cheat at card games, but that didn't mean she didn't know how.

It took Kid four straight losses to realize something was up. When she pulled a queen with ease to beat his six, he finally got it.

"What the? You fucking cheating witch!" He shouted, tossing down the deck. "How the fuck-!? Come here!"

She shrieked with laughter as he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her into his lap.

"You hiding cards, huh?" He growled, his hands pushing up under her shirt as he searched her only made her laugh more as he accidentally tickled her. "How the fuck'd you do that?"

"I didn't do anything, I swear!" She argued through her giggles, shoving away his hands as she tried to escape.

"Lying to my face again," his growl had become more playful as he tugged her in closer. "The cat thief shows her true colors. 'Fess up, Kitten."

"You've just had too much to drink. You're paranoid. You can't handle that I'm luckier than you." She snorted, pushing her back against his chest to try to get leverage to pull out of his hold.

"Just tell me how ya did it." She shook her head and pursed her lips. "Tsh, you're lucky I'm too drunk to force it outta ya."

She giggled, and then felt herself take pity as he slumped back in his chair, all fight drained out of him again. His hold around her waist was still solid, and she didn't feel like escaping, so she turned to sit sideways in his lap as she rested her head on his shoulder. He grunted, his cheek pressing against her forehead as his left hand drifted up behind her to pull some strands of her hair off her neck, and his other hand continued to tease over her skin beneath her shirt.

"I bent the corners of the high cards when you started the game." She admitted with a soft smile after a minute.

"I fucking knew it." He groaned, his hand tangling in her hair as he leaned in to nip at her exposed neck. "And you said you don't cheat."

"I don't cheat at poker, but this was just a silly drinking game." She giggled, tilting her head against his shoulder as he continued to nip.

"Tsh, still a cheat," he grunted against her neck.

"Hm, you're just a sore loser," she teased and he nipped harder. She yawned despite herself and sank against him more. "We should probably call it a night, anyway."

"You gonna take the couch again?" He asked as his hold on her tightened and his mouth settled on a spot on her neck, his attention becoming hungry as he sucked on her flesh.

She moaned lightly, her hands moving up to fist in his shirt. That little voice in her head was questioning why she was letting him have control again, but it was easily flushed away when her mind fogged over and body pressed closer to his.

"I'm comfortable here." She was in a daze when she answered, listening to him groan as she nuzzled her face against his neck and let her lips graze over his skin.

It was all he needed to let whatever tacit restraint he had left vanish entirely.

"Damn it," he cursed, as his mouth found her ear and pulled louder mewls from her as he ran his tongue over the sensitive flesh. "You're really drivin' me nuts, woman."

She didn't have a second to think about what he said before the grip in her hair tugged her face away from his neck so his lips could slam to hers. His kiss wasn't gentle, wasn't filled with emotion, it was just insatiable need and pent-up hunger as he swept his tongue into her mouth. He groaned deep in his throat with the first taste, pushed harder for more, was encouraged as her tongue ran over his playfully.

She could hardly breathe as he overwhelmed her. She felt hot and her head spun as she tried to keep up with his aggressive kiss. She didn't want to stop, though. She only found herself wanting more. As her arm wound around his neck and her hand dug into his hair, she relished the sound of his deep moan as he devoured her.

As much as she wanted to bemoan her lost control, she could tell he didn't have any either. All he had was instinct and lust driving him, fueling him.

She managed to break the kiss to moan loudly when his hand moved up under her shirt and his thumb brushed over her nipple. He went at her neck hungrily again as his hand grasped her breast, kneading it roughly while his thumb barely teased the sensitive bud of nerves with small strokes. It felt surprisingly good, the contrast between gentle and aggressive, and she didn't know what to focus on more. Idly she realized she would have marks on her neck as he sucked and nipped the skin, but she couldn't find it in her to care when his touch felt so good.

She buried her face against his neck as she panted, trying to muffle her moans as she busied herself with returning his kisses.

"Fuck," he cursed against her skin at the first nip she took, his hand in her hair tightening painfully, urging her to keep going.

She smiled knowing that he liked it and let go of her restraints, sucking and licking his flesh, as heady with desire as he was. It was only making him crush her to him more and more, and she loved the way he groaned in pleasure.

She let out a disappointed whimper when his hand suddenly left her breast. He chuckled knowingly as he pulled her up in his hold, his hand yanking her shirt up higher to free her breast completely. She cried out when his mouth left her neck and he leaned down to wrap it around her nipple, sucking at it as aggressively as he was her neck. She turned slightly in his hold, her arms wrapping around his head as she buried her face against his shoulder, biting down to muffle her constant mewling.

"You enjoying this, Kitten?" He grunted while pushing her back, making her relinquish her hold so he could free her other breast and latch onto it next.

She whimpered and arched her back into him, barely sparing a nod, but it was all he needed as his right hand drifted down her body to start tugging at the button and zipper of her capris.

"Good," she felt him smile, her nipple clasped teasingly between his teeth. She glanced down to see him looking up at her, arrogant and prideful as he traced his tongue over the bud in his mouth, then wrapped his lips around it again, his gaze going back to her breast as he sucked on it and drew more cries from her before releasing it with a loud pop. "I told ya I wouldn't disappoint."

She realized then that he had been waiting two years for this, and she didn't know what to think of his attraction lingering so long. She couldn't be bothered to as his hand pushed into her pants and wasted no time in finding her wet slit.

"Damn," he grunted, his mouth trailing back up to her throat and ear, "didn't think you'd be enjoying it this much."

He groaned as he pushed his two middle fingers into her, his thumb tracing circles over the bundle of nerves hidden in the folds, making her buck and roll her hips into his hand. He leaned back in his chair, settling in as he tugged her face back to his and captured her lips in another searing kiss. She could feel his hard length pressing against her hip where she sat, and with every movement she made as his fingers thrust lazily into her, he groaned and rolled his hips against her, trying to ease his pain with the friction.

She was surprised he was going slower now, but it wasn't teasing, he was building a steady fire in her with each strong, assured stroke. It still made her want more, but at the same time she didn't want it to stop.

He swallowed her moans and cries with his tongue as she turned to press her chest against his. The more he thrust, the more she rolled her hips into his hand, and the more his own hips jut into her. She could tell he wanted her to touch him, was getting desperate for it, so she let her hand fall between them, reveling in the loud groan he let slip as she pulled his shorts open enough to work her hand inside.

He definitely wasn't kidding when he said he wouldn't disappoint.

"You don't have to be gentle," he taunted against her lips. His eyes were hooded with desire as he bucked into her hand as she grasped his length lightly.

She smirked deviously as he stole a few panted kisses and teased over his length with her fingertips, loving the frustrated moan he let out while he pushed his fingers deep inside her and stilled his strokes. His nose brushed over hers, he was panting and growling as his lips rested against hers, while his eyes slid shut when she pressed her thumb to the dewy head and stroked slow circles over the tip.

"Fucking hell, woman," he groaned, "ya really tryin' to get me to beg, huh?"

"Maybe," she teased, giving him some relief as her hand wrapped around the shaft and gave a small squeeze.

He nipped at her lip and curled his fingers inside of her, drawing a breathless mewl from her.

"Fuck that," he grunted, and then his fingers were moving again, harder and faster as he rubbed circles over her clit with his thumb.

He had found just the spot to get her shaking in his hold and he attacked it relentlessly, swallowing up her cries and moans as his lips claimed hers once more. She couldn't control her body anymore. Her hips rolled desperately with every thrust of his fingers, her hand began to tighten around his length, mindlessly rubbing over him and making him groan into the kiss as he deepened it even further.

When she finally came, he tore his mouth from hers to clamp his teeth onto her shoulder, listening as she cried out his name and shuddered hard in his arms. Her vision went black and she gasped for air, her whole mind was devoid of thought as she shivered against him. She didn't even realize that the arm she still had wrapped around his neck had clung to him desperately with her orgasm, her nails even digging angry welts into his neck and shoulder.

At least she wasn't going to be the only one walking away that night with marks.

Her attention was brought back to Kid's low chuckles as he slowly withdrew his hand from her. She spared him a tired glance to watch as he licked her fluids from his hand, his gaze glued to her as she watched.

"How ya feelin' there, Kitten? Satisfied?" He grinned smugly when she could barely give him a nod, her voice stuck in her throat. "Hope you're not tired yet, 'cause I'm far from done with ya."

She blinked in confusion at him, but didn't have a chance to say anything as he shifted her in his hold and stood up. Before she knew it, she was tossed over his shoulder with a small squeak and he was carrying her toward the basement.

"Looks like you won't be needing the couch tonight," he chuckled as he headed down the stairs, his steps slow and off-balance.

When they entered his bedroom on the far-side of the basement, he kicked the door shut and flipped on a small light that barely lit the room, just enough for him to find his way to his bed in the corner. He threw her onto the mattress without ceremony, and stood there staring down at her, a wide grin on his face, as he took in her mussed up state.

"Better than I ever imagined," he groaned as he tore his shirt off over his head and crawled on top of her, sealing his lips to hers again.

Nami felt her lust build again as his left hand dug into her hair while the other roamed her body. Her own hands took the chance to run over his well-built chest before wrapping around his neck, digging her nails into his shoulder as he ground against her.

Feeling mischievous, she bit at his lower lip, smirking when he groaned and opened his eyes to see her playful gaze as she continued to hold his lip between her teeth. He grinned, let a low chuckle slip, and then she was forced to release him when his fingers pinched a nipple and his hips ground into her hard.

"That's it, Kitten," he laughed as he moved down her body so his mouth could latch onto a breast again, "don't be afraid t'get a little rough with me."

He sat up, dragging her with him so he could yank her top off, and then tackled her back to the bed to return his attention to her chest again. She dug her nails into his hair, urging him on as he went to tug off her pants while his mouth began to descend down her body. He seemed intent on leaving bruising kisses wherever he could, even biting down at her hip hard enough to make her cry out with the sting of pain.

"I'm gonna make sure you regret fightin' this," he muttered against the inside of her thigh once the last of her clothes were thrown carelessly to the floor. He paused to suck on her flesh there, leaving another angry red mark that would surely bruise the next day, and then sat back to grin down her. She angled her head up to peer at him, catching his devilish look as he knelt between her legs. She watched as he wrapped his arms under her thighs and hauled them up onto his shoulders, his hands going to her waist as she practically hung upside down in his hold. "Remember how ya told that brat I wouldn't eat you?"

He chuckled when her eyes went wide, and turned his head to bite her thigh. "You have no idea the kinds of images ya gave me that day."

She flung her head back at the first lick over her slit, letting out a small whimper that turned into a moan as he began to suck at her folds. She was still sensitive from her first orgasm, and as his tongue began to press into her, she jolted in his hold and clasp one hand over her mouth to muffle her louder groan. Her reaction made him chuckle and become more ravenous, eager to push her over that edge again. It didn't take long before her other hand was clawing at his arms, trying to reach his hair as she whimpered with the need for more, for something else.

"Kid," she mewled.

He hummed, his knowing gaze flitting to her and she knew he was smiling, even as he sucked her clit again.

He was going to make _her_ beg. Bastard.

She whined and rocked her hips as much as she could at the odd angle, but his arms wrapped tight around her waist, holding her still as he tormented her. Her hand left her mouth to dig into the sheets behind her head and her legs tightened around his neck as she felt herself getting closer again, but it just wasn't quite enough.

"Please," she whined, gaining another hum as his tongue stilled inside of her. "Kid, please." He was grinning now, his arms squeezing her as he waited. "I need you."

She was thankful that was enough for him. She shivered with a mixture of cold and desire when he dropped her hips back to the bed, and watched as he stood up to take off his shorts.

"Should'a said somethin' sooner, Kitten," he teased, laughing again at her pout as he reached into his nightstand for protection. "You oughta know I can't deny my girl anything," he crooned lowly as he climbed back on top of her, covering her lips with his as he lined himself up and thrust into her without warning.

She cried out into his insatiable kiss as he drove into her. He wasn't gentle. He was relentless. Hard and steady as his right arm wrapped tight around her waist, crushing her to him, while his left hooked under her leg, angling it up to thrust deeper. All she could do was hold onto him, dig her nails into his back, as he took full control.

She was panting and crying out his name within minutes as he moved back to sucking and biting at her neck, groaning against her as he got lost in his own pleasure. That overwhelming heat was back again, but she embraced it as her vision faded and her body squeezed him hard as it spread through her with every hard pounding thrust of his hips.

"Fuck," he cursed when she suddenly stilled in his arms and her back arched off the bed. She lost all breath as he slammed into her, hitting that spot inside her without a break, and sent her crashing over the edge. A few unsteady thrusts from him, and he was coming after her, groaning in relief as he slowly rocked his hips with shallow thrusts into her, riding out his own orgasm.

She had finally remembered how to breathe when his tired body sunk against her. He let go of her leg to wrap his arms around her back, squeezing her tight as he panted into the crook of her neck. Tired and sated, she hummed with her cheek pressed into his damp hair while her hands ran over his back, soothing the claw marks she knew she had left on him.

"Worth the wait," she heard him mutter before his embrace tightened and he nuzzled her neck.

She couldn't help the sleepy smile she wore as she shut her eyes, allowing herself to enjoy the moment of peaceful bliss between them.

When he began to pull away, she whimpered, not wanting his warmth to leave her as she felt sleep tug at her consciousness. He chuckled, then she felt him press a hard kiss to her cheek before climbing out of bed. She cracked open her eyes to watch him clean up and remove his cybernetic arm, placing it in a case on his bureau. She saw him smirk when he caught her staring at his backside a moment later. Apparently that was the only time he liked being stared at.

The light was flicked off and he climbed back into bed beside her, pulling the covers up over her spent body. His arm wrapped around her, maneuvering her closer to the wall to give him room, and then she was trapped there in his embrace, his leg tangling with hers as she turned to face him, and his lips pressed to the top of her head in a lazy kiss.

She fell asleep as his fingers traced circles over her shoulder blade, and he mumbled into her hair.

"You're never escaping from me again, Nami."

* * *

**So yeah, very different smut in a lot of ways compared to what I write for LawNa. I'm not 100% sure I love it or got some of the more subtle differences across, but hopefully it was at least satisfying to you guys. ;p**

**Now, I'm gonna go work on some LawNa (or nap). I'll start working on the next chapter of this tomorrow or Monday.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I know this is a short update, but I have reason to keep this chapter shorter. I'll try to get another chapter done sooner rather than later, though, to make up for it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.**

* * *

_Doubting Hope_

Her eyes opened slowly, blinking lazily as her sleep addled mind cleared, taking in her unfamiliar surroundings. The room was fairly dark, only a few thin beams of early morning light streaming in from the basement bedroom's small window cut into the wall near the ceiling, dark shades blocking out the rest. Her body was sore, her legs and hips ached, and the skin around her neck felt tender. It made the bed feel all the more comfortable, made her want to burrow against the warmth at her side and go back to sleep.

Her eyes snapped wide as she remembered just what, or more like _who_, that warmth belonged to.

She bit her lip to hold back a whimper that welled in her throat as she slowly turned her head to look over at the sleeping man. Eustass Kid. She had slept with Eustass Kid. _What the hell was she thinking!?_

He was sprawled out on his stomach, his arm shoved beneath his pillow, and his head turned away from her. The blankets she hadn't stolen for herself were sitting below his waist, a leg dangling out, and try as she might, she couldn't stop herself from letting her gaze run over his bare back down to the swell of his buttocks peeking out from beneath the covers.

_Oh lord, what had she been thinking!?_

She knew what she had been thinking at the moment she gave in to him, but now, in the light of the morning, a far more sober mind present to smack her upside the head for her stupidity, she really didn't know how she could have let that happen. Sure, she had been flirting with him knowingly. Yes, she was curious to see where things went between them. And okay, she really did enjoy herself in the act, and- even sober- her body wanted to wake him up and have him do that to her all over again. But she had never actually planned to go _that far_ with him, _that fast_.

Now she was panicking.

She needed to get out of there. _Now._

She held her breath as she coaxed her body from under the covers, cursing at the fact he had to keep his bed pushed up against the corner, and keep her by the wall. She was trapped, blockaded in by his large body, and as soundly asleep as he seemed, she was quite certain he'd notice if she tried climbing over him.

Sitting up, she glanced around the bed, squinting her eyes in the dim light to make out the room's layout better. There was a trunk of some sort sitting at the foot of his bed, it didn't look like there was anything else lying around on that end- she could escape that way.

She let out the breath she held in a quiet rush, then calmed her breathing as much as she could, even as her heart rate sped to the point she felt her heart might lurch right out of her chest. She could do this. She could do this. She repeated that over and over again in her head as she gently crept along the wall to the end of the bed, careful not to let the mattress shift too much with her weight. She was a skilled thief. _She could do this_.

"Nnnghhh."

She froze right as her foot stepped onto the trunk, her head snapping to her bed partner as he groaned and shifted beneath the covers. Her breath was trapped in her throat again, her heart completely stopped, or at least she swore it was, and her eyes were glued to Kid as she silently willed him to settle again and go back to sleep.

His head turned to face where she had been laying. She could just barely make out his face, but she caught a small flutter of movement as he peeked open an eye before drowsily shutting it.

She began to move again, pretending she was light as air as she padded over the trunk, moving faster so he wouldn't catch her. She restrained her sigh of relief when her feet hit the floor. She wasn't out of there yet. She still needed to find her clothes.

Once again she cursed that man's room. It was dark, and somewhat unkempt. It was hard to tell the difference between her clothes and his in the near nonexistent light.

She found her capris. That was a start. Her underwear should be nearby. Where was it?

"Hmmm." Her back stiffened when she heard him hum and shift in bed again, warily glancing back to see his arm stretch out to her side, seemingly searching for her.

_Shit_. _Move._

There was her top! But where was her underwear!?

"Nami?" Kid grunted, his head pushing up when he noticed she wasn't there.

_Shit!_ _Think fast. Think fast._

"I'm right here," she whispered, moving toward the bed again. He turned his head back to look at her, face scrunched in confusion as she held her clothes to her chest. She'd never get out of there if he caught a glimpse at her naked body, she knew that much. "I just need to use the bathroom."

His eyes narrowed on her lie. She'd used it before, he obviously was suspicious of her using the excuse again.

"And I want to see if anyone's up yet." She urged him to believe her as she sat on the edge of the bed and leaned her body against his. _Yes, distract him- up close and personal ._ "I'm hungry."

He grunted and began to roll onto his back, forcing her to move away and give him room as he reached to wrap his arm around her waist.

_Not good! Definitely not good!_

"Give me a sec," he muttered as he ran his hand over her side, his eyes sliding shut again. He was still half asleep, that might work in her favor. "I'll get up and help ya find somethin' t' eat."

"It's alright, you just go back to sleep, Kid," she giggled. As much as she wanted to pretend it was all part of the act, she knew it was genuine amusement. He could be cute when he was tired.

He groaned again, and she knew he was going to argue, so she did the only thing she could think of at that moment and leaned over his chest as she reached a hand to brush over his cheek. His groan turned into a content hum, Kid sleepily turning into the touch. She forced herself not to panic again when his hold around her waist tightened and drew her closer.

She was questioning her sanity when she let him pull her down for a kiss, a few lazy pecks. She felt her heart clench when his hand drifted up her back to loosely tangle in her hair, his eyes blinking open to stare up at her before snatching her lips again. It almost made her feel like she wanted to stay.

_She needed to get out of there!_

"Bathroom," she reminded after pushing against his chest, ending the slow kiss before it could fog her mind. She gave him a teasing smile when he frowned at her. "And food." Despite her better judgment, she leaned down to give him another peck before forcing herself from his hold. "Just go back to sleep, Kid."

He groaned, but relented, turning back to his stomach as she picked herself off the bed. His arm burrowed beneath his head, and he kept his gaze on her as she slipped her clothes on. She gave up on looking for her missing underwear. It was dark and she needed to run. It might give Kid some false hope that she was coming back, too.

She felt a pang of guilt at that thought, one she squashed as quickly as it appeared.

She couldn't feel guilty now. She needed to focus on herself, on what was best for her, and staying in that room certainly wasn't it.

She needed to think.

With him watching her, she walked out of his room, closing the door behind her as quietly as she could…

And then she took off.

She burst up into the den as if the devil himself was on her heels, and came to a screeching halt at the three men staring at her from the couch, their eyes wide with shock.

_Shit._

"Don't you dare say a word," she hissed as she snatched up her shoes and the cash still sitting on the poker table from the night before. Their shock morphed into knowing amusement, and she pointed a threatening finger at all of them. "Not. One. Word." She bit out again, pointing at each in turn as she backed toward the door that lead to the garage. "Or I will tear your vocal chords out with my bare hands. Got it?"

Their amusement vanished at the threat, and as she glared, they all raised their hands in surrender. She heard rustling come from the basement then, and she jumped toward the door. She heard heavy footsteps lugging up the stairs just as she got through door into the garage, and got the overhead door open. She flew toward her bike, shoved her helmet on her head, and didn't look back as she started it up and sped off down the street.

_Oh, she was in trouble now._

* * *

Kid knew what she was doing, at least in his gut he did, but when her body was pressed to his chest, and her lips were against his, heating his blood and clearing away the grogginess in his mind, he let himself think for a moment that she was going to come back.

Any other woman, he'd be happy to see them sneaking out of his bed; he'd insist they leave if they didn't. Nami was different, though. He wanted her to stay, especially knowing that she probably wouldn't. She was his, and he was content having her at his side. He was tired of the teasing, the flirting, the back and forth game they had been playing. He was tired of seeing her fight him off even as she pulled him closer.

He thought that was all over when she gave into him last night, when he was staring down at her gorgeous body as it lay in his bed and he saw her honest desire for him shining in her brown eyes. She was a woman that you didn't let get away, a guy would have to be an idiot to give her up. She was a jewel, a treasure, beauty and brains and a fiery little temper making her shine as bright as gold. It was sappy and disgusting, but no less true. It was what drew him to her, made him want to greedily possess her in a way no one else could.

Even when she was stealing his wallet, all he could think about was how badly he wanted her. Hell, it actually made him want her more. He knew it right then and there, if he ever saw her again, he was going to make her his, no matter what it took. He hadn't expected that he wouldn't see her for two years, and almost gave up on that pipe dream until he saw her in that bar; older, but that glow hadn't diminished one bit.

He was like a moth to the flame that night.

He hated her for it, honestly, but at the same time he wouldn't give up.

He'd never give up on something he wanted.

And now she was walking out of his room and he was surprised by how much it hurt. He knew she wasn't going to come back. Her little show was good, believable if he was anyone else, someone who didn't know what kind of temptress she was.

He should have dragged her into bed when she was kissing him back. He should have pulled her down beneath him and made her forget whatever thoughts drove her to run. But he knew she'd still run even after that, he'd only be postponing the inevitable with it, and he wanted her to want him without reserve. He _needed_ her to want this or else it would always be a game, always be a fight, a struggle to get her into his arms, into his life. That might be fun in the short term, but over time it would drive him insane and there was no telling what could happen then.

He wasn't a patient man by nature.

With a heavy groan, he pushed himself out of bed. Maybe she'd still be there when he got upstairs. Maybe she wouldn't actually leave.

_Bullshit_, he told himself, but he wanted to hope he was wrong. He'd been wrong about her before, he could be wrong again.

He threw some shorts on as he moved across his dark room and the basement living area to the stairs. He heard her voice, hissing at his friends like a cornered cat, and he pushed himself to move a little faster.

The door to the garage slammed shut the second he opened the door to the den, and he turned to frown darkly at the sound of her motorcycle revving.

That little kitten could move fast when she was scared.

He spared a glance at his friends, cocking a brow as they sat there with their hands in the air, looking like idiots, and then released a heavy sigh. He didn't say a word as he went to the garage, listening as she peeled away from his house, and opened the door to see that she was definitely gone. He hit the button to shut the overhead door, and turned back into the house.

"Kid?" Killer prompted. Their arms were down again. They were still idiots for letting her get away. Or maybe he was the idiot.

"Shut it," he growled and walked toward the kitchen. He knew his friend was concerned, but he didn't care. He'd deal with the woman the next time he'd see her.

And he _would_ see her again.

He meant it when he said there was no escaping him anymore.

* * *

**As I said- short for a reason.**

**Thanks for all the reviews! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Another super friendly reminder that Kid is an asshole with a temper, and this relationship is not a healthy one. With that being said- Kid loses his temper in this chapter and property damage ensues. Just as a warning.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.**

* * *

_Regrets and Guilt_

She had known that night he had left a number of marks on her skin. She hadn't expected just how many and how difficult they would be to conceal. The hickies on her neck were the worst. She didn't know how he did it, but Kid managed to make them too dark to cover up with make-up alone. The asshole.

Robin didn't restrain her knowing smile when she spotted Nami on campus come Monday morning, a thin scarf wrapped around her neck, as well as a t-shirt that covered her midriff, and jeans. She was hoping the scarf would look less suspicious than a turtleneck, but when it came to her friends, any attempts to cover up gave off warning bells.

The part she hated most about the marks was that she always found herself thinking of who gave them to her and how, and her body seemed to want more every time her mind wandered to the feeling of his kisses and nips. It was frustrating and confusing and she wished she could just make it all stop.

She was surprised when he didn't try to call her that Sunday, but she was thankful he gave her the space. Maybe if she was lucky, he'd just treat it like a fling, let her go and they could go back to how things had been, maybe with a lot less flirting. As curious as she was about pursuing _something_ with him, she was now scared of the possibility and what it might entail.

Kid was an intense person, and her attraction to him reflected that. It was overwhelming and out of her control, and she didn't think she could handle that.

Her hope that he'd leave her alone vanished Monday night when he called. It was a decent hour for a change, shortly after she had finished eating a small dinner and was settling in to make an attempt at studying. She stared at her phone as it rang, terrified that he might be able to see her sitting there, that he might come out of the device and force her to talk to him. She wasn't sure why she felt that way, but anxiety wasn't exactly rational.

She sighed with relief when the call cut to voicemail and she slumped over her desk when he didn't leave a message.

She jumped again a minute later when she got a text from him.

'_**Call me. Now.'**_

She whimpered and tossed her phone away from her onto the desk, scooting back in her chair to put extra space between her and the phone as she stared at it. Her hands were covering her mouth as she felt panic well in her; her breath came in shallow gasps of air, her heart pounded away in her chest, and she desperately wanted to scream.

He was pissed. There was no denying that, and it only left her more confused.

Kid never seemed like the type to care if a woman ran off in the morning. She thought that maybe he'd take the small victory, be satisfied he'd gotten her into bed at least once and made up for what she did to him two years before.

Her gut told her that she knew better, knew that his interest in her was different. The way he practically clung to her that morning, tried to find a way to keep her there even when he didn't say that was what he was doing; he didn't want what happened to be a one-time thing. What he wanted with her, she wasn't quite sure. He didn't seem like the type to have a steady girlfriend, to date someone traditionally, but neither did she think he'd want an open relationship, friends with benefits, not with how possessive he was.

The thought of dating Kid only added to her confusion. She wasn't against it, it was what she had been considering in the first place, but in hindsight, she just couldn't imagine how it would work. What would they do? Other than have sex, of course.

Could it really work out?

She shrieked when her phone rang again, and she slowly leaned forward to look at the caller ID.

Kid again.

She ignored it, cut it straight to voicemail. She didn't want to talk to him. Not yet. Maybe that would be enough for him to know she needed more time.

She doubted that, and knew she should just be honest with him, but she was afraid of how he'd react.

She sighed in relief when a few minutes passed without another call or text. Maybe he got the message.

* * *

The reason Kid couldn't call her back again, or send another message, was because he crushed his phone when she ignored his call. He knew she was avoiding him, knew she didn't want to talk about what happened. He could understand that, but he'd understand it better if she just told him as much, didn't avoid him entirely. All she had to do was send him one fucking text saying she needed space or whatever the fuck her excuse was, and he'd leave her alone.

Okay, he'd at least_ try_ to leave her alone.

"Kid," Killer sighed as the crimson haired man tossed the shattered remnants of his phone onto the coffee table with a string of curses under his breath. "Calm down."

"I am calm."

"No you're not." The blond glowered at his silently seething friend, and Kid couldn't help but sneer at him. "Just give her some time."

"I don't want to hear that from you! I want to hear that from her, damn it!" Kid shouted, his temper at its limit. "If she doesn't want to fucking talk to me, then she just needs to fucking say something! She's thinking too fucking much again!"

Killer sighed again as he ranted, but Kid didn't care.

He played her damn game and he won, but his prize ran off without a word. He left her alone for over a day- that should have been plenty of time to get her scared little mind together and figure out what she wanted. She was lucky he managed to wait it out that long. The entire time he fought off the urge to call her, he drove Killer insane as he glared at his phone the whole day Sunday until he forced himself into his work space in an attempt to find distraction from his rapidly thinning patience.

He nearly blew a hole in the backyard because of it.

"For fuck's sake, what is wrong with that woman!?" Kid fumed again, his teeth grinding noisily. "One minutes she's hot, the next she's cold. She needs to fucking figure her shit out!"

"Kid," Killer sighed again. It was becoming a pattern. "She isn't going to figure anything out if you push her. You only just started getting along better. She might just be overwhelmed with how quickly things escalated. Let her pull back a bit."

Kid ground his teeth again, wanting to argue with his friend, but knowing he couldn't. He was right, and he hated that. He should have known this would happen, especially with how much Nami was fighting her attraction to him. He was an idiot to think one night would be all he'd need to get under her skin for good, to make her his girl once and for all.

But was it too much to ask she not play this damn game anymore!?

"One fucking text! That's all I need, damn it!" He shouted again, kicking at the coffee table angrily and sending his beer bottle tumbling over onto his phone, only further damaging it.

"We'll get you a new phone tomorrow, but obviously tonight you won't be getting anything from her." Killer sighed… _again_.

"Fuck!"

* * *

Tuesday came and went without a phone call or text from him, much to her relief. She finally managed to get him out of her head long enough to concentrate on what really mattered to her- her education.

It wasn't perfect concentration, but she wasn't quite as distracted as long as she didn't look in the mirror to see the marks still lingering from that night. She was starting to wonder how long it would take for them to fade.

She still needed to wear a scarf to cover the bruises, but her mind wasn't replaying how she got them, at least not when she was at class or running around. When she got home and was forced to look at every single one sprinkling her body before she got into the shower, then she found herself whimpering, her knees shaking, as she thought about his hands running over her skin, making her shiver with need.

By Wednesday afternoon, she still wasn't sure what she was going to do about Kid. He had sent her a text that morning while she was in class, sending her mind back to that night and what it meant for them. She ignored the text, just as she had Monday, and hoped he'd leave her alone a bit longer. She knew at some point she wouldn't be able to avoid him, but she just wasn't ready to talk about that night or their relationship, whatever it was.

"Tall vanilla macchiato." She smiled as she placed her order at the café by her place. She needed the caffeine to get through her afternoon classes later. She had had a few dreams the night before that were far too detailed and she woke aching for a person she couldn't face yet. She had no idea how he affected her so much after just one night.

She didn't pay any mind to the sound of another customer coming in as she waited for her drink. It wasn't until she felt someone standing behind her, large and imposing, that she dared to glance up at the newcomer.

Her face went white as she stared up at Kid and his annoyed frown.

"Nami," he practically bit out, his temper barely restrained. "We need to talk."

She blanched even more and wanted nothing more than to shrink away from him.

"I need to get to class." She said in a rush, looking over at the barista and willing her to make her coffee faster. She wasn't leaving without that caffeine. She paid for it.

"Just tell me why the fuck you ran off and didn't answer my calls or texts." He growled, moving a little closer to ensure he had her full attention.

"I've been busy with school." She answered. The excuse was plausible, he did text her while she was in class that day, but as she peeked at him again and saw his deeper frown, she knew it wasn't going to be enough to satisfy him. Luckily, her coffee was ready. "I don't have time for this, Kid," she said while grabbing her cup and darting around him. "We'll talk later."

He tried to reach out and snatch her by the arm, but she managed to avoid him as she sprinted out the door. She was pretty sure she heard him curse loudly just as the door shut behind her. She didn't really care at that point, as long as he wasn't coming after her.

* * *

When he saw her in that coffee shop, his first reaction was to gloat at the cute pink scarf she had tied around her neck. He knew what she was covering up, and he wanted nothing more than to tear that scarf off so the whole world could see that she was his, and then he'd leave a few more to remind her of that, as well.

It was a coincidence running into her there. He was on his way to work when he decided to stop in for a pick-me-up. His own frustrations and overall anger with her avoidance left him tossing and turning the last few nights.

He wanted her back in his damn bed where he felt she belonged.

He didn't believe a word out of her mouth when he approached her, the excuse even flimsier than the one she used when she ran from him the other morning. He could maybe believe her if it was only the text from that morning, knowing that she was likely in class, but she could have spared him a minute after to respond.

He didn't miss how she completely avoided explaining why she left in the first place. Either she didn't have an answer yet, or her answer was likely to piss him off and she didn't think it was a good idea to tell him.

He had a bad feeling it was the latter and that only pissed him off more.

He wasn't going to play this game for long, but he'd give her a few more days. He'd never be this patient with another woman, she should consider herself lucky he was holding back as much as he was.

Hopefully he'd get lucky and run into her again. He was certain calling wouldn't get him anywhere at this point. It was harder to avoid him when he was standing right in front of her.

* * *

Nami made the calculated risk in going out to Shakky's Friday night. Kid had called only a few times since the run in at the café, but that day he had backed off, seemingly leaving her at peace for the time being. Since it was only for dinner and a few drinks with Zoro to hear all about his trip home, she figured it would be safe to go out for an hour or so. Her other friends were still busy, or out of town, but she was ecstatic to have a chance to spend some time with one of them and hopefully forget about her unexpectedly turbulent love life.

"So, anything happen while I was gone?" Zoro asked as they finished off their meals. She froze, wondering if she should tell him what happened with Kid, or at least the heavily edited version of the story. "And why are ya wearin' that scarf?"

Her back went stiff at the second question, only reminding her of the fading marks on her skin. A few were gone, others nearly vanished, but there was still one stubbornly hanging around on her neck. She didn't even want to think of the one on her inner thigh that hadn't faded, either.

"I'm just trying out a new style," she laughed breezily, her friend's eye narrowing on her suspiciously as she waved him off. "Don't you think it suits me?"

"No." He answered bluntly.

She pouted at him, feigning hurt and hopefully making him forget his other question. She didn't think he'd want to hear about anything happening between her and Kid.

"Stop avoiding the question, Nami," he glowered at her. "What happened?"

"Nothing," she said a little too fast, her voice pitched a little too high, and of course he glared at her lie. She grasped for something, and when she found it, she was pleased that he wouldn't think to question anything else. "Absalom showed up."

"What?" He growled. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she sighed. This, as horrific an experience as it was, was a safer subject to discuss with Zoro. "He attacked me here in the bathroom, but didn't get far before he was taken care of."

"Taken care of?" He cocked a brow and she felt her throat tighten as she realized she couldn't completely avoid discussing Kid.

"Um, yeah… I was hanging out with Kid and Killer that night." She looked away when he frowned more, obviously unhappy with that information. "Kid took care of Absalom for me."

"I thought you always had your taser on you?"

"I do, and I _did_ that night. Kid even reminded me to take my purse into the bathroom since we knew Absalom was lurking." She huffed, sitting back with her arms crossed. "I hit him in the throat, but apparently it wasn't enough to take him down. I had only gotten out the door and began screaming for help when he grabbed me again."

Zoro hummed, his gaze trailing over her as if looking for any sign of injury, even though it had happened a week before. He finally sat back with a heavy sigh, seemingly satisfied. "Well, I'm glad you're alright. Just be more careful next time. You should have left the second you saw him."

"I know," she said with a roll of her eyes. At least he wasn't remarking on Kid's roll in the whole ordeal.

It wasn't that late, but she couldn't hold back a small yawn. Sleep was still alluding her.

"You've been pulling all-nighters again, haven't you?" He asked disapprovingly. She pouted at the accusation. It was somewhat true. "Well, I'm done here, so if you want to head home, then you should. You look like you could use some sleep."

"Yeah, I guess that's a good idea." She smiled weakly. She didn't want to go home alone, she wanted to spend time with her friend some more, but she also knew that if she stayed, there was a good chance she'd run into Kid.

Unless he was working. She really hoped he was working.

"'Kay, I'll get the tab." He said while picking himself up from his seat and heading toward Shakky at the bar. "Luffy oughta be getting back into town in the next few days. Rest up since you know he's going to want to throw a party and tell us all about Dressrosa."

She laughed as she got up after him. "True enough, though no matter how much sleep I get, it won't be enough to keep up with him." Zoro barked a loud laugh of his own in agreement, reaching over to give her a few pats on the shoulder. "I'm going to run to the restroom. You go on ahead. Just make sure to use your GPS to get home."

"Geez, I got here by myself, I don't need a GPS to get home," he huffed.

"You were half an hour late." She stuck her tongue out and nudged him over to the bar. "Don't lie, I know you got lost."

He curled his lip at her then turned away to pay their bill, grumbling under his breath the whole way. She giggled at his sore attitude as she moved toward the hallway to the bathroom. Thinking about the last time she was in there, especially after the conversation she had with Zoro, she couldn't help but feel a little timid when first going in. She didn't waste any time in there, even though she knew Absalom wasn't around to hurt her, she was still feeling too anxious about it to linger.

When she came back out, she saw that Zoro was already gone and a few of the regular Friday night patrons were beginning to trickle in. So far no Kid to get in her way.

She sent a wave to Shakky as she headed for the door and her waiting motorcycle. She froze the second she stepped out into the parking lot when she saw the SUV parked next to her bike and the four men walking away from it toward the bar.

"Oi, Nami," Kid didn't hesitate in calling out to her.

She felt like a deer in the headlights as she glanced around, looking for an escape route, but the men were in her path to her bike, and Zoro was nowhere in sight. She really needed to stop using the bathroom at Shakky's, she had the worst luck with it.

"Kid," she heard Killer hiss quietly, "leave her alone."

She breathed a small sigh of relief at his words. He noticed her skittishness, he knew she wasn't in the mood to talk then. Maybe Kid would listen?

"Tsh, I just want to talk to her." Kid growled back, waving his friends away as he stopped in front of her. "Go on in, I'll be right there."

She saw the men hesitate, but Heat and Wire went inside while Killer stayed back at the door, silently keeping an eye on whatever exchange might happen. She wasn't sure if that should make her feel safe or not.

"You got time to talk now, Kitten? Or you got some other excuse to run tonight?" His arms were crossed over his broad chest as he questioned her, lip pulled up in a slight sneer to show how unhappy he was with her behavior. He was terrifyingly imposing standing in front of her like that, and she only wanted to run more.

"I don't have anything to say right now, Kid," she frowned up at him.

"Why not?" He prompted, his eyes narrowing on her.

"I just don't!" She snapped and moved to get around him. He reached to grab her like he had in the coffee shop, and this time his hand managed to clamp around her arm, spinning her to face him. "Kid! I told you I don't have anything to say! Let me go!"

"Like hell I will," he growled, tugging her back to him. "I'm sick of this game, Nami. I'm done playin' with you."

"What game!? I'm not playing any game!" She yelled, yanking her arm to try to free herself.

"Tsh, you keep acting like you want me, and then shoving me away the second I get close. You keep fucking with my head! I thought that shit was over after what happened! I thought you figured out what you fucking wanted!"

"I did! But… I don't know, Kid! I'm just really confused!" She was starting to feel frantic. She was not ready to have this discussion with him, especially not with how thin his temper was. "Just _please_ let me go!"

"Kid!" Killer warned, and to her relief, he released her arm with a small shove.

"Just tell me what the hell you want." He wasn't done talking, even if she was free to move away.

"I don't know!" She yelled, backing over to her bike, even as he followed after her. "I need some time to think!"

"You've had the whole fucking week to think! It ain't that hard! If you'd stopped thinkin' for once, maybe you'd see that!" He hollered, his patience strained as he stood opposite her at her bike, leaning back against his car. At least she had a barrier between them now, though she didn't know how long that would last with how angry he looked.

"It's a lot more complicated than you think! I hadn't expected to sleep with you that night! I wasn't prepared! I made a mistake!" She shrieked, internally wincing when she saw a vein throb in his forward with her last remark.

"You what?" He asked lowly, and she shrunk back against the car on her side of the bike. "Do you regret it?" She pursed her lips, unwilling to answer because she knew he wasn't going to be happy. "Nami! Do you _fucking regret_ _it!?_"

"Yes!" She heard herself say and she ducked against the car at her back when he lost it.

"Fuck!" He yelled after his hand slammed into the back passenger window of his own car, shattering the window with the force.

"Kid!" She heard Killer holler, running over from where he had been watching.

She glanced up at Kid's back to see him panting as he leaned his head against his car. She whimpered when he growled and punched the door panel, leaving a small dent, before spinning away. All she could do was stand back as he stomped around to the driver side, started it up, and pulled out with a squeal of tires on asphalt. Her lip started quivering as she listened to his engine roar down the street, sounding as angry as he was. As it began to fade, she took a deep, shaky breath, and then another, willing her heart to stop pounding away in her chest.

"That idiot," Killer huffed and it was then she realized he was standing next to her now. He looked down at her, a solemn frown on his face. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah," she stammered. As she reached for her helmet, she noticed her hands shaking, and struggled to make them stop. She had seen Kid lose his temper before, but never like that, never over something as simple as her regretting one night with him, and never in a way that left her fearing for her own safety.

She was stricken with terror again, but at the same time felt guilt settle in her chest. She knew his reaction was because she had somehow managed to hurt him, and she could imagine that wasn't something he was used to dealing with. She didn't mean to hurt him, she was just confused, but he didn't need to react so violently when he got the answer he was pushing her to give.

"You sure?" Killer prodded as she shoved her helmet on just as a few tears pricked at her eyes. She nodded, keeping her head down as she slid her face shield into place. He stepped closer at the first sniffle. "Nami…"

"It's fine. I just… I need some time to think without him pressuring me. I'm fine." She shook her head, waving him off as she got on her bike.

She dared to glance up to see him glowering at her. He didn't believe her one bit, but he didn't seem inclined to call her out on it, much to her relief.

"I'll talk to him." Was all he said before he turned to head into the bar.

"You don't have to do that!" She called after him, but he only waved back at her. She slumped over on her bike, realizing she couldn't argue with him, and took a few deep breaths to calm herself before her ride home.

* * *

Kid was pissed and he couldn't quite say why. He was pissed at Nami for the back and forth. He was pissed at her for her confusion over something that, in his mind, should be the simplest fucking decision she ever made- either she wanted something with him, or she didn't; it wasn't rocket science. And he was especially pissed that she felt any regret over that night, or at least he decided that was how he felt about it.

Anger was a lot easier to understand than whatever emotion made him feel like he'd just been stabbed in the heart.

His pride was hurt, he knew as much, but it was different than when he'd be insulted by some idiot he didn't give a damn about. Those people he could beat the shit out of, no big deal. Nami, he couldn't do that, nor did he want to, and he did actually respect her feelings, even if he thought they were a convoluted and unnecessary mess. If she thought she made a mistake, she probably had a good reason somewhere in that head of hers, and that only made it hurt more.

He was also pissed at himself, even if he chose to focus on his aggravation with her. He was pissed that he hadn't expected this outcome, especially knowing she wouldn't be easy to get. He should have anticipated she'd pull away again, should have prepared himself to continue coaxing her into his life whenever he found the opening. He was also pissed that he let himself lose control the night he got her into his bed, but when it came to her, control was a hard thing to come by, even more so than it normally was.

Then again, he was surprised he lasted as long as he did without shoving her against a wall and kissing her senseless, not to mention all the other dirty little acts he had in mind whenever he thought of her… which was a lot.

That woman was rarely far from his thoughts. It was annoying.

He growled to himself as he aimed a strike at the punching bag he had in his basement, trying to take out his anger on something. He ignored the sharp pain in his right hand. He had a few shards of glass in it that he removed when it got home, and the knuckles were sore from hitting the door panel. He probably should have gone to the hospital to have it looked at, but at the moment, he just needed to hit something and the pain only helped focus his mind on something other than Nami.

Plus, he'd had worse, it was probably fine.

He ignored the sound of the front door slamming shut upstairs, as well as the heavy footsteps of his friends coming home. He didn't even spare a glance when he heard the door to the basement open and someone come down the stairs, their footfalls still heavy, determined.

"Kid." He narrowed his eyes on the punching bag at his best friend's voice and threw a harder hit, but didn't answer. "I need to talk to you."

"Not now." Kid said lowly with another shot at the bag.

"Yes now." Killer growled, the first warning of his friend's apparently foul mood.

The next came when a hand landed on his shoulder, spinning him around, while another hand, balled up tight, collided with the left side of his face.

He forgot how good a right hook Killer had.

"What the fuck was that for!?" He hollered, preparing to lunge at his friend if he didn't give him a good answer. His eye was already starting to swell, and he had a feeling his orbital bone was fractured. The man didn't pull his punch, so whatever reason he had, it had better be good.

"You know exactly what that's for." Killer growled back. Kid's lip curled into a silent snarl, but his friend stood firm. He had a good idea why he punched him. "If anyone else pulled the shit with Nami that you just did, you would have done the same damn thing…" He paused, his eyes hard in a glare. "Actually, you would have done worse."

"I just wanted a fucking reason for why she was avoiding me!" Kid argued, compelled to defend himself even though he _knew_ he screwed up. If Killer was throwing punches and lecturing him, then he definitely screwed up.

"She said she didn't have anything to say to you!" Killer yelled. The blond took a step back, and then breathed deeply to calm himself down. Shouting wasn't going to go far. "It doesn't matter what you wanted, all that matters is that she wasn't ready to talk to you. You can't push her into anything, you're only going to push her away with that kind of behavior. And after what you just did, you might have guaranteed that she'll never want to have anything to do with you again."

"What?" Kid's eyes narrowed on Killer, honestly confused.

"You punched the window out of your car because she said something you didn't want to hear." Killer reminded. "You scared the crap out of her with that." He stepped closer to Kid again, his voice dropping. "She was on the verge of tears because of you. She couldn't stop shaking she was so afraid."

All Kid could do was stare blankly at his friend, his face set in a closed off mask. Inside he felt like he couldn't breath as all that anger at himself came to the forefront of his mind. Killer was definitely right, if anyone had done that to Nami, he would have beaten them mercilessly. He lost his temper with her, and it might have lost him everything.

"I wouldn't hit her." He finally said, his voice quiet but firm. He wouldn't. He knew where to draw the line.

"You say that, but you have a violent temper, you're unpredictable, and I can imagine Nami's wondering if you'd ever hurt her."

"I wouldn't." He argued again, more certain. He hadn't even considered striking Nami back at the bar. As angry as he was, he wouldn't have hurt her.

He ignored the nagging voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like her friend saying he'd only bring her pain.

Killer sighed, but relented on that point. "Either way, that might have only given her another reason not see you again. You're only going to give her more regrets." Kid growled low in his throat at that, but didn't say anything. "You need to back off. You need to get yourself under control. You cannot force her into anything, and you can't treat her like a possession. Give her the time she needs." He sighed again when Kid frowned deeply at the advice. "Don't call or text her for the next week, if not more," he elaborated, much to Kid's annoyance. "And the _first _thing you will do when you see her again is apologize for tonight." He glared hard when Kid opened his mouth to argue, and he promptly snapped it shut, grumbling under his breath. There was no arguing with Killer when he lectured. "You _will_ apologize. _Profusely_. Get down on your knees if you have to."

"I ain't gettin' down on my knees," Kid finally huffed.

"Then you better hope you don't have to."

"Damn it." He cursed, moving to slump onto his small couch. All the anger was drained out of him, or at least the anger he had for Nami, and now he felt exhausted. The nagging, foreign feeling of guilt only made it worse. He really fucked up.

"If she doesn't give you another chance, then you will have to give up on her." Killer said quietly, coming over to pat him on the shoulder.

"Yeah," he said with a shaky rush of air. There was that annoying pain in his chest again.

That damn woman really did a number on him. He really wished he could hate her for it.

Killer gave him another pat on the shoulder, seeing that he was calm and sinking deep into thought.

"I'll get you an ice pack for your eye," he said as he went to the stairs.

Kid was left alone with his thoughts for the rest of the night.

He _would_ fix this mess he made. He _had_ to fix it.

He had to have her.

* * *

**As far as I'm concerned, the only person that can literally knock some sense into Kid, is Killer. He's literally the only one who could get away with punching him like that, too. Personally, I'm pretty damn sure that Killer's the only one Kid's ever been afraid of, if only because and angry Killer is pretty damn terrifying.**

**And as I have said, and will continue to say, this is far from being a perfect or ideal relationship, so do not be surprised if Kid fucks up a lot. Nami will make her mistakes, too, but Kid's side is where the most obvious problems lie. I want you all to be absolutely aware of this, because if any of his behavior starts to become triggering in any way, then it would be for the best you step away from the fic and I completely understand if that's the case.**

**For those of you who might be worried that Kid will hurt Nami physically, just know that I actually do not see Kid as the type to strike someone he really cares about (except for Killer, but that's a completely different sort of relationship for him). He'll take his anger out on property or whatever poor sap gets in his way that isn't his girlfriend. He knows what he'd do to anyone who hurt her, so even he knows it'd be damn hypocritical to do it himself. If he ever actually hurt her, he'd let Killer beat him up since he can't beat himself up... and he doesn't like it when Killer beats him up. So yeah, he does have some self control in this respect. Surprisingly.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry this took a little longer than I planned to get done- moving sucks.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.**

* * *

_Making an Effort_

Nami was relieved when the weekend went by without any word from Kid. After the confrontation in the parking lot of Shakky's, she didn't know what she would say to him if he called her again.

She realized that avoiding him as she had was a terrible idea, that it only served to make the complicated situation that much worse, and she knew her own temper would be razor thin if someone did that to her. Not only that, she knew it had to be painful, even for him. He was so certain of what he wanted, there was no doubt in his mind at all, and there she was, wavering in her resolve, giving him reason to believe he had a chance, even when she said he didn't. She wished she could be certain of how she felt about him, she was surprised she wasn't, especially after what happened.

She knew she was attracted to him. She knew she enjoyed his company the vast majority of the time. She knew she could call him a friend, count on him to be there when she needed it. She knew there was more to him than anger and violence, and that was what made her think _'maybe this could work.'_

But he terrified her. To her very core.

He was possessive. He was aggressive. There was no telling what he could be capable of. She wanted to believe the best in him, wanted to trust him, wanted to give him a chance, but she just couldn't, not when it could mean she give up her own independence and control.

She knew she could never give that up.

That should have made her decision easier, but still there was that nagging _'what if?'_ in her head. What if he changed? What if he showed that it would be different? What if she was wrong about him? What if she just gave him a chance to be better?

Reason told that nagging voice to shut up, that she was being an idiot for even considering it, but her gut told her otherwise.

She had never felt so conflicted in her life.

She knew at some point she would see him again, she would have to talk to him and set things straight. It wouldn't do either of them any good if she continued to flounder. She had to make a decision, and she had to stick with it.

The only thing she knew for certain, though, was that the harder she fought her attraction to him, the harder those feelings fought back, bringing her right back to her confusion.

It was turning into a vicious cycle that she didn't think she'd ever escape. She tried to distract herself with studying or spending time with her friends, and that would work well enough until she was alone with nothing to do but sink into her thoughts. She hoped that with each passing day that she didn't hear from him, she'd find him on her mind less and less, but instead the opposite happened. She began to wonder when he'd try to call her again, or if he'd be at the café or the bar or just out on the streets. She wondered if he had gotten into any more fights. She wondered if he was ever going to pay her back for his bail.

And then there was the daydreaming.

The marks had finally faded halfway through the next week, but the memories certainly didn't. She hated how much her mind would wander when she thought of him, how often it drifted from her confusion and concerns to something she had no conflict about.

That man definitely knew what he was doing in bed.

Her feelings were obviously rooted in lust, she figured as much, but she wondered if there could be some romantic inklings in there. She wasn't sure, and she wouldn't be unless she gave him a chance. But if she gave him a chance and turned out wrong, how would he react if she tried to end it? After seeing him smash his own car window, she imagined he wouldn't take a break up well.

Considering she was already thinking of an inevitable end, she knew they didn't stand much of a chance of working out.

But _what if?_

She wanted to smash her head into a wall by week's end, she was fighting her second thoughts so hard.

It should be simple.

_He's violent. He's possessive. He's controlling. He isn't right for her._

That had been her mantra for the week. She was determined to make her decision and hold to it. She wouldn't back down. She wouldn't waver.

At least that was the case until she was staring at crimson hair through the peephole of her front door near midnight Saturday night.

* * *

Eustass Kid was a man who liked to fight, but he knew that sometimes it just wasn't worth the effort.

That definitely was _not_ the case with Nami.

She was more than worth it.

It was a struggle to follow Killer's advice, to hold himself back and give Nami whatever space she wanted, but he would do it. He had royally screwed up; even if he felt his anger was justified, his actions certainly weren't and he knew they would only serve to destroy whatever small place he had in her life.

He knew he was an intimidating man, he had been building that reputation since he was a kid. He had people in his life that weren't scared of him, that he didn't really want to fear him, at least not in the way he wanted everyone else to. He wanted Nami to be one of those people who wasn't afraid to be around him, and she had slowly been becoming one of those people the more time she spent with him.

And then he went and ruined it by punching out his window.

He knew the odds she'd forgive him were low, and the odds she'd even give him a second chance were even slimmer than that. He wouldn't give up, though, not after how close he got, not after he got to have that taste he had been dying to get, not after he got to feel her wrapped around him and hear her cry out his name. He had her, and he wasn't going to let her slip away, not that easily.

But first he had to wait.

He'd never been in a more difficult fight. His own urges proved to be a stubborn opponent.

He beat them back, though, every single day until Saturday night when he decided he needed a drink at Shakky's with the vain hope he might run into her there. Every minute that passed by that she wasn't there, he steeled his nerves with one drink after another.

Her apartment was a twenty minute walk from the bar. It should have been faster, but he took his time as his mind sobered up in the cool night air. The alcohol might have given him the determination to do what he knew he needed to, but it probably wouldn't do him any good to show up at her doorstep drunk.

He couldn't remember the last time he had apologized for anything, and he didn't think he'd ever given one when he thought he was due his own.

When he got to her door, he stared at it for a few minutes more. He wondered if it was really worth it. For a fleeting second he considered turning back, if only because he didn't know how he'd react if his apology was answered with words he didn't want to hear again.

He swore to himself that he wouldn't hurt her, that he would stay calm, but he idly wondered if maybe he should have brought Killer with him.

A few deep breaths helped ensure that he was calm- strangely anxious, but calm- and he finally rapped on her door. He knew it was late, but that wouldn't deter him, it never did when he wanted to talk to her. He sank against the door frame after a minute, shutting his eyes as he tried to remain calm before knocking on the door again. His eyes slid open when he heard her shuffling around inside and he could see the shadow of her feet through the crack at the bottom of the door as she peered out the peephole.

He didn't say a word when he vaguely heard her sigh. There was a small thump on the other side of the door, the sound defeated and frustrated, and he knew she wasn't too happy to see him standing outside her door.

"Kid," she sighed a little louder, aware that he was listening to her. She sounded exhausted, maybe a little anxious. "Can this wait until the morning?"

"No." He answered gruffly, ignoring her annoyed groan. "You don't have to let me in, I just want to talk about what happened."

She groaned again, but she unlocked the door and opened it. The chain was still in place, a clear signal that he definitely wasn't coming in. That was fine, at least she opened the door so he could see her. She had a pink tank top on over blue shorts, her hair was a little mussed up, and she had obviously been trying to sleep when he showed up. He met her heavily guarded gaze with a frown as he tried to prepare himself to swallow his pride and apologize.

"So?" She prompted, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall as she stared expectantly at him.

He let out a small huff of air and looked away for a moment. There was no getting out of this, not if he really wanted a shot at a second chance. When he was ready, he turned back to her and pressed his forehead against the frame, making sure he was level with her eyes as he spoke.

"I lost my temper with you," he began, pausing as her own frown deepened. His mind went back to that night and what Killer told him when he caught the faintest of quivers. Nami was trying to hold back her anxiety as she remembered that night, but she couldn't hide the emotions completely, not with him standing there, and that only brought back that sharp stab to his chest he didn't care to have. He shut his eyes to block out her expression, releasing another sigh as he sank against the door more. "Sorry."

He opened his eyes again when he heard her shift. She took a deep breath as she turned away, her back leaning against the wall as she hung her head, wavy orange locks hiding her face now. He watched as her hand clasped over her arm and tightened until he could see her nails digging into her skin, red welts quickly forming that he glimpsed every time her fingers flexed.

"You really scared me." She said softly.

"I know." He breathed out, suddenly wishing the damn chain wasn't in his face so he could somehow get closer to her. "Killer talked to me after."

"He said he was going to." She nodded weakly.

"I wouldn't have hurt you." His words were firm, just as they had been a week before.

"You say that-"

"I wouldn't." He repeated with more force. Her head tilted slightly toward him, but her hair still fell in a way that he couldn't make out if she was looking at him, or what her expression was, but he took it as a signal that she wanted to believe him. "But I shouldn't have lost it like that with you, either."

"No, you definitely shouldn't have." He caught her pursed frown as she bit out those words. "I wasn't ready to talk to you about what happened between us, and you should have respected that."

"I would have if you had just said something sooner." He growled in annoyance. She shot him a disbelieving look and he glowered at her. "Seriously, Nami, I hate being avoided like that. I would have made an effort to give ya space if you just told me as much. Ignoring me's only gonna piss me off."

"I realize that now, and you're right, I shouldn't have done that to you." She sighed, and he felt like maybe, just maybe, he still had a chance. "But that still doesn't excuse your reaction. I was confused about what I felt for you because I was scared, and then you shatter a window right in front of me!" He groaned, that foreign weight of guilt settling in his chest again and he realized he shouldn't count himself so lucky. Nothing would ever be that easy with Nami. "I honestly don't know what to think of you anymore."

_Damn it_, he cursed internally, shutting his eyes again as he forced himself to stay calm, to not let his anger override his reason because what she said hurt.

"I really blew it, huh?" He found himself asking, his voice low, the question rhetorical, though he was curious the answer.

When she remained silent, he dared to look at her again. She was staring straight ahead into her apartment, her arms still crossed, expression pensive. He waited until her eyes slid to him.

"I want to say yes…" she trailed off as her eyes snapped away again and her frown deepened further. She was still confused, much to his surprise. "You've become nothing but a pain in my ass, Kid. I never feel like I'm in control of myself when you're around, and it's terrifying. I don't want to feel that way…" He waited as she got her thoughts together, silent with intrigue over where they might lead her. "You're an asshole, and unapologetic about it." He snorted, despite the fact she probably meant it as a negative trait. It was still true, and he wasn't ashamed of that. "You have a short temper. You're possessive. Controlling. _An asshole_."

He fought the urge to crack a smile at the repeated insult. She was clinging to the reasons she had to stay away from him, grasping at them like they would save her from whatever else she might feel about him.

"You said that you had figured out what ya wanted before," he tried when he realized he might still have an opening in her continued confusion. "What was it you thought you wanted?"

"I don't really know," she answered with a defeated sigh. "I mean," she paused to huff, "I thought maybe I could see where things went with you." To his credit, he held back his victorious grin; he hadn't won yet. "But then everything happened so fast, and it overwhelmed me. I didn't mean it when I said it had been a mistake, that I regretted it, at least not in the way it seemed." He cocked his head curiously when she paused to let out a shaky breath, and waited for her to explain as that pain in his chest ebbed just knowing that she might not have meant everything she said in the heat of their argument. "It was something I was willing to move toward, it was something I did want, but I regret letting it happen so fast. I made the mistake of letting you have so much control. I didn't even know what you wanted, other than to get me into your bed, and that only made it worse."

"You should know exactly what I want." He glared when he caught her glancing at him. "If all I cared about was gettin' ya in my bed for some cheap fling, I wouldn't have wasted my time gettin' you to warm up to me and just found some random floozy to take care of it instead. Two years ago? Yeah, all I had on my mind was a quick fuck with a hot chick, but then ya went and stole my wallet instead, and I couldn't seem to forget you. I liked that little devil a lot more than the easy chick throwin' herself at me, and then when I saw ya again, all I wanted was to make you mine, and not for a night."

"You actually liked me more _after_ I stole your wallet?" She raised a brow incredulously.

"Yeah," he smirked arrogantly. "Fucked up, ain't it?"

"Very, but I really shouldn't be surprised," she sighed, letting her head fall back against the wall as she stared up at the ceiling. "That's not the only reason I ran, though. You scare me."

"As ya keep tellin' me," he huffed, "and I'll keep tellin' ya that I won't hurt you."

"It's not just my own safety I'm worried about, Kid. You're possessive and violent, and I've had enough experience with people like that to know it never ends well. You might not hurt me, but there's the chance you'll hurt someone I care about."

"Tsh, does this have to do with that Arlong guy?" He asked, and when her nails dug more into her arm and she pointedly turned her head away, he knew that it did. "What the hell did he do to you?" He muttered. He knew he wouldn't get an answer, especially not when she was beginning to get lost in memories she'd never share with him. With a heavy sigh, he turned where he was standing so he could reach through the door with his right hand. It was a tight squeeze for his forearm, but he managed to get in just enough to brush his fingertips over her elbow. She winced at his touch, and that pang returned for a moment, but she forced herself to relax with a shaky rush of air, silently giving him permission to let the touch linger. "Yeah, you're right about me. I'm an ass, I like to fight, but I won't risk fucking things up with you by hurting you or your friends. Fuck, if I could have, I'd have kicked my own ass just for scaring you like I did, but I had to settle with Killer punching some sense into me." He angled his face in the door when she looked his way, letting her see the purple bruise still covering part of his cheek and temple. "I'm not perfect, but I'm not that Arlong guy, either, and I'm willing to prove that to you if you'd just give me a fucking chance."

"Kid," she sighed, her head once more falling back against the wall. "I kept telling myself all week that it wouldn't work out, no matter how much I want to think otherwise."

He managed to push his hand in further. His fingers brushed over hers where they continued to dig into her arm, and her gaze slid back to him, wary, but still not pushing him away like she probably thought she should.

"What do I need to do to convince you that it could work, or that it's at least worth trying?"

"I'm not sure," she breathed out heavily, her eyes yet again leaving him as she thought. "Let me take things at my own pace, don't take away all of my control."

"I can do that," he said with the faintest of smiles blooming again. "At least I can try. I tend to lose control when it comes to you, too, so ya can't really blame me when you don't have any, either."

"I can and will blame you." She huffed and sent him a half-hearted glare, only making his smile widen.

"What else?"

"Stop being so possessive." She said firmly. "I keep telling you to stop calling me your girl."

"But that's what you are." His brow furrowed at her as she glared harder. "At least that's what I want ya to be."

"You make it sound like I'm a thing to be had, but I'm not. I'm a person with a life and will of her own. It's not up to you to decide."

"Tsh, I know that." He looked away with a huff, frowning at nothing in particular. "What if I asked?"

"Huh?"

He turned to look at her again, his hand tightening where he held her to pull her a little closer to the door. "What if I _asked _you out? _Asked _you to be my girl?"

He watched as her cheeks grew rosy with a blush while she stared at him, eyes wide with surprise.

"Would you feel better if you had the choice?" He clarified as Nami blinked in astonishment.

"I would, actually," she answered honestly, her voice breathless in her continued shock.

"Alright, then will you have dinner with me sometime next week?"

"Wait, you're actually asking me out on a date!? Right now!?" Her mouth fell open, and he had no idea how she could be so surprised when he literally was just talking to her about it. Was it really that surprising that he was willing to _ask her_?

"Of course I am! I want to fucking fix this mess and if asking you out will help, then I'll fucking do it!" He growled loudly.

"I wasn't actually expecting you to ask me out on a _date_! At least not a real date!"

"What the fuck did you expect me to do, then!?"

"I don't know! I never imagined you'd even know how to date!"

"The fuck's that supposed to mean!? I know how to fucking date someone! It ain't that hard!" He pulled his arm out of the door as he took a step back. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down even though she was driving him insane now. "Now will you have dinner with me or not?"

He allowed himself to look at her again when she didn't immediately answer. She was glaring thoughtfully, her lip in a small pout. Damn did she look cute like that.

"Not some cheap fast food place." She said, listing her terms as he rolled his eyes at her. "And not Shakky's."

"Fuck, woman, I know that. I'll take ya somewhere nice or somethin'. I told ya I know how to date."

"Could have fooled me." She huffed, but there was a hint of mischief in her eyes and her lips were threatening to smirk teasingly at him.

"Oi," he grunted, leaning against the door frame again as he reached up to hook a finger around the chain keeping him out. "Let me in for a sec."

Her amusement waned at the command, but he didn't back down.

"Please."

She let out a sigh and moved back from the door to shut it enough to release the chain. When she opened it again, he stayed leaning against the door frame, only moving in enough to reach out and lightly grab her by the waist to pull her in. He smirked cockily when she didn't fight him.

"So, that a yes to dinner?"

"Yes," she sighed again, this time defeated. "But if I change my mind-"

"Just tell me," he frowned, not liking that possibility, but he knew he'd have to resign himself to accepting it. She was going to be hesitant until she saw whatever she needed to see in him to prove he was worth the chance. "If you decide you really don't want to try this, then just tell me straight and I'll give you up."

"I thought you said you were a man who didn't give up when there was something he wanted?" She asked skeptically.

"I'm not," he shrugged, "but I fucked up big time last weekend, and if you're still willing to give this a shot, then I gotta respect it if you change your mind. I won't like it, I can tell you that, but I'll respect it. I said it before, I don't want to play games with you. I don't want to have to chase you around to get you in my bed once, and then have to do it all over again. I want you to want this as much as I do, and I can tell some part of you does, but the second you don't want it anymore, then I won't bother you, as long as ya give it chance first."

"Alright. Then I guess I'll try this." She said with another small sigh before pursing her lips and pointing up at him in warning. "But we go slow, and if I say stop, you stop."

"I got it," he chuckled with a grin. "If you had told me to stop that one night, I would have. It would have fucking hurt like hell, but I'd have stopped." He leaned down as his arm wound around her tighter, pulling her against his body as he grabbed her hand and tugged it away. "But about that date. You free Wednesday night?"

Her cheeks turned pink with a blush again, and damn did that make him want to kiss her.

"I'm free." She said, and that was when he gave in to the urge to kiss her.

"Good," he muttered against her lips before snatching them in a quick kiss. He was surprised when she didn't push him away, even returning the gesture, and when he pulled back she was staring at his lips as if she wanted more.

Who was he to deny his girl?

He released her hand so he could dig his fingers into her hair, angling her head back as he slammed his lips to hers again. He had never felt as thrilled as he did when his tongue danced along hers and her hands fisted in his shirt. He pushed her back against the wall at her first moan, kissing her hungrily, satisfying himself after the two agonizingly long weeks since he first got to taste her. He had truly been worried he might never get the chance again, so he couldn't help but greedily take what she was willingly giving him that night.

"Kid," she gasped when he moved to her neck. Those marks were gone, but he was more than happy to give her a few new ones. With her nails digging into his scalp and her chest arching against him, he groaned against her flesh as he sucked on it. "Wait," she breathed out after a short minute, and he forced himself to stop after a few more nips to redden the skin.

He didn't move away from her, though, but lingered with her in his arms, panting against her neck as he regained his control. When her hands slid back down his shoulders, her palms moving to push against his chest; that was when he begrudgingly released her and took a step back.

"I got it. It's your pace," he said. She smiled up at him, relieved and maybe a little confident for the first time about giving him this chance, and he reached up to brush his thumb over her chin before leaning down to steal one last lingering peck. He wanted to go home still tasting her on his lips. "I'll pick ya up around six on Wednesday."

"Make it seven, I have a lab course that doesn't get out until five and I don't want to rush."

"Seven it is, then." He smirked and then gave her hip a small squeeze as he moved by her to walk out the door. "I'll be looking forward to it, Kitten."

He was glad to see her smile only widening and he held himself back before he took control of the pace she wanted. He really did need to work on that.

"Good night, Kid." She said while pushing the door shut on him, the knowing look in her eye telling him that she was aware that he was holding back again.

"'Night." He waved, turning his back on her as he headed away from her apartment. "And thanks," he added with a quick glance, just before she shut the door. She blinked, confused for a moment, but when she realized what he was thanking her for- the second chance- she smiled again and gave him a short nod.

As he headed off into the night, his chest light for the first time in weeks, he let out a relieved laugh that floated up into quiet city around him.

She actually forgave him. She actually gave him a second chance to set things right.

He didn't know what he did to be so lucky, but he wouldn't let it go to waste.

He'd do whatever it took to have her.

* * *

**Thanks for all the reviews, I hope you enjoyed this chapter because writing Kid actually making an effort to be nice and _try_ to make things work out is really hard. But I do see him as the type to really try with these things if he wants to... he'll fuck up a lot in the process, but he will try so damn hard not to.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry for the delay in this chapter. It was long, and surprisingly difficult for me to get together motivation and energy to work on it. Hopefully it was worth the wait.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.**

* * *

_Borrowed Resolve_

She admittedly had some second thoughts before Wednesday night came. She wanted to trust that Kid would keep his promise and take things at her pace, but she knew he was the type to take control and do whatever he wanted. He wasn't the type to follow someone else's lead.

Yet there she was staring at two dresses laid out on her bed, wrapped in a towel after a long shower to collect her thoughts and mentally prepare for her date.

That word alone- _date _\- just did not match up with Kid. She had no idea what he might consider a proper first date, especially with a girl he had been in a relatively comfortable friendship with the past few months. She was using that other word- _friendship_\- loosely, of course.

It probably didn't help that _dating_ wasn't exactly a normal thing for her, too. She'd had crushes in the past, but none ever developed beyond that friendship stage. She had more admirers than she cared for, none of them sparking her interest, at least not outside of where their wallets were concerned. The very, very rare instances she allowed herself to take interest in someone who came on to her, particularly back before she met her friends, it was quickly ended when _he_ found out.

Dating a gang leader's _precious_ officer was courting danger to the point it was suicide.

After she regained her freedom, she didn't have the time or care to date. Flings were easy and distracting in the past if she could get away with them, but she didn't need the temporary escape from her problems once they were gone. All that mattered was enjoying her life with everyone she loved.

She hadn't expected Kid to be the one to strike her interest and make her want to test those waters she'd avoided for so long. She didn't have the threat of a violently possessive boss hanging over her. She didn't have the fear that something might happen to Kid if she showed him any interest, though she was certain Arlong wouldn't have worried him one bit in the past if he had been around then. She was still anxious that Kid would turn into the violently possessive one she had to escape, but she believed him when he said he wouldn't harm her or her friends. At least she wanted to believe him.

There really was a lot going against them, but despite his temper and controlling personality, she honestly liked him. She couldn't entirely understand why, but that was the honest truth. Something just clicked with him. He was strong and loyal and she knew she was safe from outside threats when she was with him. He had his own charm that attracted her, as rough and sometimes grating as it was. A relationship with him wouldn't be a storybook romance, but it promised to be interesting.

She didn't have that urge to run away, at least. Not after their talk. Her anxiety ebbed when she gave into her attraction again, her mind stopped warring as those nagging doubts fell mostly silent. Rather than give into the whispered voice still trying to sway her away from him, she reminded herself that she had seen something good in him, an unpolished potential that every now and then showed itself, and she wanted nothing more than to see him bring that side out more.

She thought about how reassuring it was to stare at his back as he made himself a wall between her and the threats in her life. She thought about how warm his hand was on her head as he drew her in, comforted her in a way she never expected him to. She thought about how determined he was to know about her, know about her past, know about the scars she bore on her skin and in her mind; even if his questions drove her insane, he still cared enough to learn about her. She thought about all the ways he looked at her; hunger and greed, concern mixed with rage, amusement, and that hint of hope she didn't miss when he asked for a second chance. She thought about how secure she felt in his arms, as well as the desire he had for her. She thought about every minute sensation that drew her into him, made her smile despite her fears.

He was so certain where she wasn't, and she would cling to that resolve until she had her own to hold onto.

She wouldn't run again.

With that determination, her only concern that night was what to wear.

She had managed to get so far as to slip into black lace underwear and a bra when her phone rang on her nightstand. She glimpsed Kid's name on the display and answered it immediately, even as her eyes cast between a midnight blue dress and a yellow dress.

"Hey," she answered distractedly. The yellow dress was light and airy, the chiffon hung off her frame somewhat loosely. It was perfect for a date that was more casual, but still nice enough that she could wear it to an upscale restaurant.

"I'm headin' over soon," he said and she could hear movement on his end, fabric rustling and she knew he was getting dressed. "You still up for it tonight?"

She smiled, even as her eyes drifted to the blue dress. He had given her space after they spoke the other night. She knew he was trying to avoid putting too much pressure on her. Of course he would want to make sure that time hadn't given her reason to rekindle her doubts again.

"I'm getting ready right now," she laughed lightly. The blue dress clung to her body, more conservative with its short capped sleeves, but still designed to tease with its low V-neck and the slit that ran up her thigh from where it fell to her knee. It was simple and elegant but somewhat restrictive, only perfect for dinner, but not for anything else. "Did you figure out where you were going to take me?"

She smirked when he huffed in slight annoyance at the question. "It's a surprise, damn it."

"At least give me a hint so I know what to wear," she laughed again.

"Wear whatever you want." He grunted without a care. She heard water running in the background for a second and then it was shut off. There was some rustling again and she was curious what he was doing now, but he chuckled suddenly and she was pulled back into the conversation. "Otherwise I'm fine with you wearin' nothin', though we won't be going anywhere if ya went with that."

"Kid," she admonished firmly.

"I'm joking." He chuckled again. "But seriously, just wear whatever. I don't care and the place ain't over the top or anything."

"Hmmm."

"They're just clothes. Shut yer eyes and point and there ya have it."

"You're so unhelpful, Kid," she pouted. "Don't tell me that's how you pick out what to wear."

He barked loudly with laughter. "Pretty much."

"That explains so much." She said sarcastically.

"Oi." He grunted in a short warning and she giggled at his annoyance. "Tsh. The shit I put up with from you."

She knew he wasn't serious as he grumbled the complaint, could practically hear the smile in his voice at her teasing, so she brushed it off without a care.

"It's what you get for not telling me where you're taking me." She stuck her tongue out at her phone, even knowing he couldn't see. It was habit.

"I still ain't tellin' ya." He snorted in amusement. "Ya better figure out what you're wearin' soon, though, 'cause I'm on my way. But I'm not complain' if you answer the door naked."

"Kid!" She yelled.

"Just pick a fucking outfit, woman," he laughed back. "I'll see ya in a few."

"See ya." She huffed and hung up. "Asshole."

She smiled even as she cursed him and it was then she knew exactly what to wear.

* * *

Kid would never, ever admit that he was nervous.

But he was.

It was a small inkling of concern that he forced himself to ignore as he drove over to Nami's. He couldn't rationalize it, not when he was so sure that he could give Nami more reason to entertain the idea of dating him. The only reason he could think of to be nervous was that he didn't have a great deal of experience with formal dating.

He never cared enough to actually date someone in the past. Flings were cheap and easy when he could have one. A short term girlfriend here and there if he was bored and attracted enough, but he didn't put too much stock in those relationships and ended them the moment he couldn't stand them anymore. Those were few and far between, easily counted on one hand. He liked the idea of stability, liked the idea of having one girl he could call his and only his.

The only problem was that most of the girls that showed him interest were only looking for a fun night and maybe some free drinks. He knew his temper and aggressiveness scared the rest away. He wasn't an idiot, he knew he wasn't perfect, but he wasn't going to change that, at least not without good reason.

Nami was a good reason. He had fun with her, he could call her a friend and mean it, and she was one of the hottest women he'd ever met. Definitely the hottest to ever give him a fleeting chance at something more. She was genuinely nice to most people, she had a temper that could almost rival his own, she was intelligent and cunning, and he truly did love that devilish side she had. She caught his attention and kept it.

He still wouldn't change much, but he'd at least try to control certain faults that even Killer had been telling him to work on for years. Learning that the one woman he didn't want to fear him, was nearly in tears because she was so afraid, had been the push he needed to reign in his temper, if only where she was concerned.

He would never hurt her. He couldn't. He'd hurt himself before he ever raised a hand at her, at least that was something he wanted desperately to be certain of. Only scum treat the people they care about like that, and he might be an asshole, the lowest of the low to some, but he wasn't scum.

He protected what was his.

He would make an effort to prove that to her, and that meant he had to take her out on a proper date and do things he never gave a damn about doing in the past. He would show her that he respected her, that she was different, that she was _special_. He would do whatever it took.

Hell, he wore a damn tie for her.

As he walked up to her apartment, he ran a hand through his hair, checking that it was mostly tame. He forewent his usual headband that kept his hair back, instead using some gel to slick it back loosely. A few bangs still fell over his forehead, stubbornly refusing to stay in place. He didn't care.

His black button down shirt was tucked in and he couldn't wait for the first chance to loosen his burgundy tie. He idly tugged at it the whole way there, barely restraining himself from tearing it off. At least he didn't have to wear a jacket, though he was starting to think he'd rather wear that over a tie that felt constricting around his neck.

He forced his hands into his pockets to control the urge to mess with the tie more. It was only making it worse.

Once he was at Nami's door, rapping loudly on the wood, he finally found himself relaxing. The second the door opened, he forgot all his worries, and especially that damn tie as he blinked down at the woman giving him a second chance.

He once again wondered how the hell he could be so lucky.

She was absolutely gorgeous.

He's seen her in a bikini, in tops that barely covered a thing. He's seen her naked. Yet there she was, wearing a blue dress that covered everything from the knee up, save for the cleavage shown by the deep V cut of the top, and he wanted nothing more than to shove his way inside, toss her into bed, and fuck her with that dress still on. And then she shifted and he saw the slit running halfway up her thigh.

Restraining himself at just the sight of her had never been harder.

"Kid," she sang knowingly and his eyes snapped from her chest to her face. There was laughter in her eyes.

He had never wanted to fuck someone so badly.

"You okay there?" She asked, laughing as she grabbed her purse and tossed the thin strap over a shoulder.

"Yeah." He forced himself to grunt, forcing his eyes to stay on hers. "You look good."

"Thanks," she beamed. Her gaze swept over him, and he felt himself preen at the hint of approval he saw in her quirked brow, his ego only swelling more when she met his eyes again. "I'm impressed. You clean up well." She reached for his tie, giving it a teasing pull. "And I love the tie."

He grinned and plucked her hand from his tie to tug her against him. "Standin' here staring at you is making me want to forget dinner." She flushed at the hint. "Let's get goin' before I do."

Nami gave a nod and pulled away to shut the door. As he wrapped an arm around her, tucking her against his side as they headed for his car, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, once again taking in the beautiful woman he was set on making his. Her hair was curled and swept to one side, loosely tied on the left side of her neck so only a few strands dangled down over her chest. The long column of her neck was exposed on her right, the side he was on, and his thoughts became plagued with images of trailing his lips over her skin, marking it with nips and bruising kisses.

"You're staring again," he heard her laugh. His eyes snapped up to see her glancing at him, lips turned up in knowing amusement while a cute blush dusted her cheeks again.

"So?" He shrugged, even as he forced his eyes forward. "Your fault."

"How's it my fault?" She laughed again as her arm snaked around his back. His gaze slid to her, expression carefully schooled into a stoic frown. Just that little bit of touch from her, that easy willingness to make herself closer to him, made warmth settle in his chest and lust in his gut.

He mentally cursed himself for giving into his desires with her weeks before, because now that he knew her touch and taste, he only wanted to know it again. Restraint was going to prove difficult at this rate. Hopefully it would be worth the effort.

"It's your fault 'cause ya look too nice. How the fuck can I stop starin' at ya when you look like that?" He said honestly.

"Do I need to go change into something else?" She asked with another giggle just as they reached his car.

"Fuck no." He said firmly while casually opening the passenger door for her. "Knowing you, you'd find something that'd drive me nuts even more."

"Well…" Her smirk grew as she slipped away from him to climb into the car. "You're not wrong."

"Tsh," he huffed as he moved to stand inside the door, an arm resting above the frame, surprising her as he leaned down until his face was level with hers. He gave her a half-hearted glare, and then his gaze slipped down to her lips for a split second before meeting her now guarded eyes. "You're really gettin' a kick out of torturing me, huh?" He smirked as she relaxed at the teasing question. She didn't answer, but he didn't really give her a chance to as he leaned in further to steal a quick kiss before pulling back with a dark chuckle. "Keep it up, Kitten, and you'll be gettin' more than that little peck from me."

He moved away as she blushed again, cocky smile on his face as he watched her nibble her lower lip when he shut the door.

That little taste should satisfy him through dinner.

* * *

Nami was quite pleased with his reaction when she opened the door. She knew it wasn't the best idea to test his resolve, but it was too much fun seeing him war with himself.

It took a lot of her own control to not react as his heated gaze bored into her at the door, but she held herself together and enjoyed the look of pure desire in his eyes. After the stolen kiss in the car, though, she found herself wanting nothing more than to feel his touch again. That could prove troublesome when they were supposed to be taking things slower.

Silence reigned as they drove to the restaurant. It was comfortable, Kid seemingly drifting into his thoughts when he wasn't sneaking sidelong glances at her, and Nami was busy watching the darkened city pass by, trying to get a clue of where he was taking her. She frowned when they passed the park she had been babysitting Momonosuke weeks before, curiosity getting to her. A few minutes later, he was parking on the street across from a small Italian restaurant.

"Isn't this the place Killer works?" She asked with an amused smirk.

"That a problem?" He frowned, turning in his seat with an arm propped on the steering wheel. "I get a deal here 'cause of him, the food's good, plus I figured ya wouldn't mind seein' where he works." He shrugged, then looked out the windshield as his frown deepened. "And I thought ya might be more comfortable on a first date knowing there's someone else ya know around."

She scrutinized him for a moment. Why would he think it would matter if his friend was around on their date? Sure, while she was trying to hold stubbornly to a platonic relationship with him, she was adamant about having his friends around to act as a buffer, but now she was willing to test the waters of a romantic relationship with him; she didn't need the buffer. It did set her at ease a little bit, though. If anything happened that set off Kid's temper, and she couldn't get him to control it, Killer definitely could. It was reasonable, but she didn't think it was why he wanted their first date to be there.

She blinked when it struck her, and then a giggle slipped past her lips that had his gaze sliding back to her. She laughed a little more as his eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"You're nervous." She laughed, leaning in closer to him.

"I'm not." He was scowling now.

"Yes you are." She continued to laugh as she teased. "You're nervous you'll mess up-"

"I ain't gonna mess up."

She brushed off the interruption. "Is he there to help you if you need it?"

"No."

"Is he going to slip you notes to tell you what to talk to me about or when to make a move on me?"

"Hell no." He growled, leaning his face toward her as he glared. "I haven't needed help talkin' to you or makin' a move on you before. Just 'cause it's a date, doesn't change that."

"Hmm, I guess not." She smiled cheekily before she caught him off guard as she brushed her lips over his in a teasing kiss. The gesture left him slightly flustered, but he growled to hide it while she giggled again. "But it's cute that you're nervous."

"I ain't nervous, woman." He bit out. "Now stop laughin' at me or I'll _make_ ya stop."

"Make me?" Her amusement fell away at the seeming threat and she began to pull back until his hand snatched her by the arm to tug her in again.

She blinked at the wolfish smile he suddenly wore. "Yep. Make ya." He chuckled and then his lips were pressed to hers, much hard than the fluttering kiss she gave him a minute before. His grin was wider when he pulled away a fraction of an inch, their noses brushing as he leaned his forehead against hers. "I warned ya once already; keep torturin' and teasin' me, you'll be gettin' a lot more than just a kiss. Now we gonna eat, or would ya rather keep testing me until I drag ya into the backseat?"

"Eat." She answered with a short nod, refusing to let her mind drift to what he would do to her otherwise.

"That's what I thought." He barked a loud laugh, turning for the door to slip out of the car.

Nami followed suit, smoothing out her dress to shake off whatever lingering nerves she had herself, and came around to his side of the car were he was waiting in the street. He tilted his head back as she approached, frown on his lips as his eyes found their way down her body one last time. When he met her eyes again, he smirked and held out his right hand for her to take, this time catching her off guard with the gesture.

"Come on. I'm fuckin' starving." His smile grew as she slid her hand into his, and she found herself unable to look at him when his fingers laced through hers, tugging her across the street to the restaurant. She heard him chuckle low under his breath, and she knew he caught her blushing.

She couldn't even begin to understand why such a simple gesture made her feel so flustered.

Once inside, they were shown to a small table near the corner, away from the rest of the patrons. It felt quieter, almost private, and she had a feeling Kid requested it beforehand. The host pulled out her chair while Kid took a seat on the side of the table at her left, and suddenly she felt her stomach knot with anxiety because she was actually on a date with Eustass Kid.

"Oi," Kid grunted at her while she was trying to distract herself with the menu. She peeked up at him warily as he leaned across the corner of the table. His hand disappeared beneath and she felt his fingers subtly run over her knee. "Don't go panicking now. I ain't gonna bite ya." She relaxed at his words, oddly relieved that he noticed her abrupt change in mood, and then his hand teased up her leg at the slit in her dress to give her thigh a tight squeeze. She squeaked at the smirk he gave her. "At least I won't bite unless ya want me to."

"Kid." She lectured, though she couldn't help but smile as she took her menu to smack at his shoulder.

He released her with another chuckle and sat back in his chair. "You were teasin' me about being nervous, but here you are, lookin' about ready to bolt."

"I'm not going to run," she pouted.

His smile was somehow softer when he looked at her then, more sincere, and she thought there was a hint of relief in his eyes. "Good." He laughed again. "Can't imagine ya gettin' far in those heels, anyway."

"You'd be surprised." She laughed along with him, leaning over her spot at the table as she forgot her own nervousness. "I've run in high heels before. Sadly, you're not the first one to catch me lifting a wallet."

"That so?" He quirked a brow in amusement.

"Mhm. You're just the first to actually keep me from getting away."

He chuckled again and she forced her eyes back to the menu, hiding her smile as she felt his hand find her leg again. "And I still ain't lettin' ya get away," he said lowly as his fingers hooked under her thigh at her knee and he gave another light squeeze.

They sank into silence again, Nami still trying to hide her smile, wider than before, as Kid's hand lingered on her leg, thumb brushing lazy circles over her knee as he stared at his own menu. She could say she wasn't nervous anymore, the fluttering in her stomach was for an entirely different reason.

* * *

"So, how were your classes today?" Kid asked after they placed their orders, his hand itching to be back on her leg after he pulled away when the waiter came. She didn't seem to mind, her legs even angled closer to him after she crossed them, but it was becoming too much of a temptation. He would control himself, just as he promised he would.

"Good," she smiled for a moment and then it fell into a pensive frown. "Though my lab this afternoon was for my research group. We've made a lot of advances in weather manipulation already, but we've gotten stuck on making it more widespread, or at least easily accessible."

"What d'ya mean?" He cocked his head to the side, chin resting on a fist. "You guys plannin' to use this around the world?"

"Possibly. It depends on the ramifications that altering the weather is sure to have on the existing atmosphere. But we're also looking at making it portable." She sighed, and he furrowed his brow at that.

"Why portable?" He watched as she took a sip of her wine, eyes staring forward thoughtfully.

"Weaponry." His eyes went wide at her answer and he leaned forward, even more intrigued. Her gaze slid back to him and for a moment he wondered if she was unhappy with how her research might be used, but then she gave him a devious little smirk. "My idea, actually."

"You want to harness the weather as a weapon?" He asked incredulously. She nodded, smile growing.

"It started as a pet project two years ago, shortly after I met all my friends. With Franky's engineering, and our friend Usopp's creativity and inventiveness, it wasn't too hard coming up with a rough design. We even have a few prototypes, but I need further research into weather manipulation to make them more controllable and effective." She explained easily, and he could see a hint of pride in her eyes.

"What the hell's a girl like you gonna do with a weapon like that?"

"Well…" Her smile fell away for a moment and she shrugged. They were in territory she wasn't comfortable talking about anymore. "Let's just say I want to be able to protect my friends like they've protected me." Her gaze flit away as she took another drink of her wine, and then she was smiling again. "And it's a lot better at taking out creeps attacking me in restrooms than a little taser."

He growled at the reminder despite himself, though he was glad to see she wouldn't stand to keep playing damsel in distress. As willing as he is to take out anyone who tried to come after her, he'd rather know she could take care of herself when he wasn't there.

"Those friends of yours," he began, suddenly remembering his brief encounters with a few of them. "They're pretty damn protective of you."

"Yeah. We've been through a lot together. We're all like that with each other." Nami nodded with a wistful smile. "None of us want to see anyone get hurt."

"Hmmm. That one chick… Robin, right?" She gave a short nod as she cocked her head to the side. "She told me to stay away from you back when I saw her at the coffee shop."

Nami blinked, her eyes going wide. Apparently she hadn't expected that.

"Robin said that?" She frowned, humming low in her throat as she looked away. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised." With a sigh, she brushed it off, once more smiling. He felt her leg nudge his, and he couldn't help but smirk too as he nudged it back. "Are you worried she'll talk me out of dating you?"

"I doubt anyone can talk ya out of something you want to do." He chuckled.

"True, but you don't need to worry anyway." Her smile only grew as he sent her a curious stare. "I've talked to Robin about you since you first met her." His brow rose at that information and he fought off the urge to break out into a proud grin. "I think she's reserving judgment on you until you do something totally unforgiveable."

"You say anything about…" He trailed off, frowning deeply. She seemed to know what he was getting at as she shook her head.

"I didn't tell anyone about that," she paused to search for an appropriate word, "_fight_. If I felt I couldn't handle it, I would have, but since you gave me space…" She trailed off with a shrug. "I decided not to worry anyone needlessly."

He hummed, his eyes glued to her as she turned away to take another drink. He couldn't believe that she wouldn't at least give her friends an idea of what he did, especially with how scared she was.

"Some part of me knew you wouldn't have hurt me." She added on softly after a minute. "And I've had people do worse and I've forgiven them. As I said, you gave me space, and then you gave me an honest apology. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't really matter anymore."

His hand was back on her leg in a heartbeat, and when she glanced over at him again, he gave her a cocky smirk as he squeezed her knee. He made a mental note to find out what 'worse' was and just who she had forgiven for it, but he knew she wouldn't tell him that night, so he didn't bother to question it just yet.

"So, now I'm curious," he chuckled, "what were ya talkin' to your friend about?"

"Ahhh." His smile grew as her cheeks turned pink and mouth fell open. "Just…_ stuff_."

"What kind of stuff? Were ya braggin' 'bout me?" He was grinning wolfishly now. Just knowing that he had been on her mind at all, especially when he wasn't around, and she felt compelled to talk about him; it made his ego swell.

"Of course not!" She huffed defensively and he threw his head back with a laugh at the blatant lie.

"Come on. I know ya were. What were ya braggin' about?" His eyes sparkled with mischief as he leaned in closer, dropping his voice so only she could hear. "Were ya tellin' her all about that _other night_?"

"No!" She practically shrieked, and this time he could tell it was the truth. At least it was mostly the truth. Her face flushed and she glanced away, embarrassed. "I mean. I might have mentioned something about that, but that was only after I told her about our date tonight. But I wasn't bragging about it!"

He laughed again, relieved to hear she wasn't looking to hide things from her friends… except the shattered window.

"Robin's been in a relationship with Franky for just over two years now." She began again after taking a moment to cool down. Kid's amusement dwindled. He had an idea where she was going with this. "I still think it'd be good for you to meet him, and she agrees."

"Fuck, Kitten. Ya told her about all that?" He frowned, a hint irritation in his voice that she either didn't notice or chose to ignore as she narrowed her eyes on him.

"I did. Kid, you're a smart man, and obviously you really loved engineering. Why don't you want to talk to Franky?" She pouted.

His irritation grew, but it was stifled by that slightly disappointed look on her face. "I dunno. Just that's all behind me. I build and play with that stuff on my own. I don't need someone to compare myself to or who'll come in and judge me." He shrugged his shoulders, looking away as he rested his chin in the palm of a hand.

"Franky isn't like that." Her pout only deepened, turning sullen, and he tried not to look, but his gaze kept sliding to her. "Trust me, Kid. I know you'd enjoy hanging out with him. I don't entirely understand anything Franky does, and I swear if he offers to put a laser on my bike one more time, I'm going to smack him…" He snorted at her complaints. "But he's really passionate about it and he's worked hard at it. He knows what it's like to have to fight against people who say he can't do something, and I know you're the same." He frowned. She was right. "Plus, he's been working on building a robot… I think just because he can."

His expression was blank, belying the intense interest he suddenly had in what she was suggesting.

He needed to see that robot.

"Whatever," he shrugged, forcing his gaze away when she smiled brightly.

He still refused to look at her when he felt her hand slide over his where it still rested on her knee. The way her fingers played over his, running over the joints, tickling the skin with her nails, quickly distracted him from his thoughts on meeting her friend.

It was a habit of his to touch her with his right hand, his _real_ hand. He was all too conscious of it, too. He could hold her just fine with his left arm, was content draping it over her shoulders, or using it to hold her close, but when he truly needed to _feel_ her- he always used his right hand.

There was too much of a disconnect with his left. He had downplayed it when she asked him that one night at the bar. Then again, he hadn't been aware of the extent of it until he first had that chance to touch her with both hands at the same time and scrutinize the different sensations. His right hand didn't want to let go at all that first time, and ever since then it was a constant battle to keep himself from running a finger over her arm or through her hair.

He could feel the warmth radiating from her, the softness of her skin. He could feel the tiniest shiver, flutter of muscle in response to his touch. He could feel her pulse thrumming in her veins. He could actually feel her, feel connected, feel like she was almost a part of him. He loved that. It excited him. It calmed him. It was pleasant and addictive. He could never get enough.

He lifted his fingers, letting her curl her own around them, and once again he was relaxed, but at the same time his mind was heady with desire. As his fingers loosely tangled with hers, he decided tonight he'd rather be calm. For now.

"You tell any of your other friends about our date?" He asked with a squeeze of her fingers and a smirk.

"No, not yet." Nami's lips pursed. "But it was mainly because I didn't want them inviting themselves to dinner."

"They'd go that far?" He half chuckled.

"Well, Sanji would definitely show up. He's the blond guy who thought about fighting you a couple of years ago." She actually smiled at the reminder of how they first met, and he let out another low laugh.

"Blondie. Yeah. I remember him. He seemed the overprotective type." He smirked.

"That's putting it mildly." She gave a roll of her eyes. "He means well, and I adore him like all my other friends, but I'd rather avoid his reaction until _after _the date."

"Don't blame ya. The others? What about that moss-head guy tryin' to kill me with a glare?"

"Zoro? Oh yeah, I did tell him." His brow rose at that. "I'm not worried about him showing up, because he'll get lost and chances are, if he shows up at all, it won't be until you've gotten me home." There was mirth in her eyes as she thought of him, and Kid ignored the bite of jealousy that came as he realized how close she was with these people; how important they were to her. "And I know he wouldn't tell Sanji. He can hold it over him later after I tell him myself, plus he wouldn't want to deal with the drama, either."

His fingers began to play with hers beneath the table, distracting that jealous need to be more important than anyone else in her life so he could focus on her. None of those guys were here with her. None of them got to kiss her, or hold her hand, or touch her freely. He held a different place, and eventually he'd make himself one of those people she would always go to, always think about.

"Franky probably knows. I'm sure Robin said something to him." Nami went on, bringing him back to the conversation. "Usopp's a good liar, but if Sanji questioned him, he might cave, so I didn't tell him anything more than I was going out to dinner with someone. And then Luffy… he can't keep a secret, even to save his own life… but I'll definitely tell him about it later. I can't keep anything from him."

"Luffy?" He hummed in thought, the name oddly familiar to him. "He with you when we first met?"

She nodded as she sipped her drink. "He was the guy with the straw hat."

His eyes widened. "Straw Hat Luffy?" She nodded again. "I heard he was nuts. And you're friends with him?"

"He's my best friend, actually." She frowned slightly. "I owe everything to him." She shook her head, removing the sullen air that came with her remark. He didn't miss it, and he found that curiosity back. He _needed _to know more about her. "And he's not really as crazy as rumors make him. He's a reckless idiot, but so are you… _Everyone_ I know seems to be."

"He's the reason you knew I was calling from jail that night." He chuckled, a knowing look in his eye.

"Well, he and Zoro. But he's the worst. He's been picking fights with Big Mom's people, too." She said, narrowing her eyes on him disapprovingly. She let out a heavy sigh when his smile only grew and he squeezed her hand again. "You're all idiots. I'm surprised he hasn't gotten into any trouble since he got back in town. Actually, I'm surprised I didn't get any calls from our friend in Dressrosa while Luffy was visiting him."

"Dressrosa?" His eyes narrowed at the city name. He knew it.

She hummed, nodding in answer, but didn't elaborate. Before he could question her more, their food arrived and the conversation was brought to an end.

The rest of dinner went by with sporadic conversation, each too busy enjoying their food to manage much else. Killer came out halfway through when he had a break to greet Nami. The woman naturally teased that he was just there to check up on Kid, and, much to Kid's irritation, Killer agreed easily. After growling at his best friend and date, the blond vanished again, back to work, leaving them alone to finish their dinner in peace.

Or relative peace, considering Nami couldn't stop giggling at him after that, once more teasing him about being nervous.

"Does it look like I'm nervous, damn it!?" He asked loudly, just barely restraining the urge to shout at her. Her laughter only grew, and he looked away to glare at the wall. He wasn't sulking, either.

"Come on, Kid," she laughed again, giving his arm a quick swat to get his attention back on her. "I'm just teasing." He glared at her. "I was nervous, too. Remember?" His glare softened and he frowned. "It's cute that you were, too."

"I wasn't." He stubbornly refused to admit. He wasn't. She only giggled more. "And I expected you to be nervous after-"

"That's not why I was anxious," she cut him off with a small sigh. "Before? Maybe. As I was getting ready tonight? No, that wasn't why I was nervous."

"What were you worried about, then?"

As her eyes grew distant and she turned away with a frown, he wondered if she'd give him an answer. He couldn't understand why she wouldn't. Even if she's not always honest about how she feels, he didn't think they could be talking about something that would make her so uncomfortable. Unless…

"I never really had an opportunity to date when I was younger," she began, much to his surprise. "It was too risky. The people I was with…"

"Ah," he grunted when she trailed off. He didn't really need to know more. If she was associated with the Fishmen through Arlong, he could imagine what happened to anyone who took an interest in her.

But now he had even more questions that he wondered if she'd ever answer.

"You ready to go?" He asked after a moment.

She let out a shaky breath and nodded, collecting herself at the memories that came unbidden with the bit of information she gave about her past. If he ever met this Arlong guy, he was going to kill him for whatever the hell he did to her.

"But," she began to smile again as she stood. He quirked a brow at her playful tone, so different from the solemn air she had only a minute before. "I don't think I'm ready to go home."

"Oh?" He smirked, standing along with her. His hand went to her shoulder to pull her against his side, needing her close as they headed for the door. "You got something in mind, Kitten?"

"Not really. I just think it's too early, and I want to hang out with you some more."

He didn't restrain his elated grin, his arm tightening around her as she wound her own arms around his waist. Damn, he was the luckiest bastard in the world that night.

"Whatever ya want, Kitten. You're the boss."

* * *

Kid was far from the type to take a moonlit stroll through the park, but Nami wanted to, and if it meant he got to spend more time with her before taking her home, he was more than happy to follow her lead. It was a nice enough night for a walk. A breeze had picked up, but after stopping by his car to grab the hoodie he had in the back and tossing it at Nami, the small chill wasn't going to be a problem.

He didn't care that his pleasing view of her cleavage was gone, she looked damn cute as she nestled into his clothing, the slender woman practically swimming in the top. Even better, she tucked herself against his side, leeching more warmth from his body and giving him the satisfaction of feeling her soft curves pressed against him.

Romance certainly had its perks.

"Have ya had to babysit that brat recently?" He asked as they walked by the area he had run into Nami one hot afternoon.

"I'm babysitting him right now," she teased, the corner of her mouth quirked up in a half smirk as he glowered down at her. "Oh? You mean Momo-chan?" His eyes narrowed further and he gave her shoulder a squeeze where he held her. She only laughed. "No, the last few times I was busy, so Robin took him for the day. Why? You miss your new friend?"

"Hell no," he grunted. "Just gotta make sure he doesn't try to claim that Shogun title and my woman again." His arm slipped up to wrap around her neck as she laughed, holding her in a loose headlock. "Next time ya watch him, let me know and I'll keep ya company again."

"I can't believe you're jealous of a child." She snickered, spinning out of his hold to stand in front of him, forcing him to a halt to glare down at her. His annoyance ebbed as she wrapped her arms around him and her chin rested against his chest as she smiled up at him. "But the help would be appreciated. He could always use a friend his age."

"Oi." He warned half-heartedly.

She easily brushed off his growling. "And you can work off a little more of that debt you owe me."

"You're still holding me to that?" He groaned. Her smile only grew and he slumped against her, defeated. "You really are greedy."

"At least I'm letting you pay back the interest through favors. You still owe me the rest of your bail, though." Her amusement vanished then, and they frowned at each other. "The other guys have already paid back most of their bail. Killer's completely paid off, save for his interest, but I'm letting him off on favors, too. I told you I take all matters with money seriously. Just because we're dating, doesn't mean you can get out of paying me back. If anything, the fact we're dating only gives me more leverage to get it back."

He grumbled under his breath, knowing very well what she might hold over his head in the future. It was hard enough trying to go at her pace, it would be even worse if she took things even slower just because of an unpaid debt. "I'll fucking get ya the money." Her smile returned, as he knew it would. "Next time I see ya, I'll get ya a check."

"Good," she said while pushing up on her toes. His own grin spread as he leaned down to meet her lips for a quick kiss, and then he gave her a light shove to continue on their walk with her tucked against him once more.

When Nami spied the playground up ahead, she steered them that direction and he didn't fight her on it. He found it amusing as she took a tentative step into the soft sand, her heels digging into the dirt, forcing her to tread carefully as she clutched onto his arm.

"What the hell are ya tryin' to do, Kitten?" He chuckled as she headed for the large structure in the middle of the playset where two slides came off, winding their way down into the dirt.

"Let's go up there," she prompted, pointing to the platform for the slides.

"And ya call me a child," he chuckled again, gaining a playful smack on his arm, but he followed after once she got her bearings in her shoes and practically skipped over to the playset.

He was glad he let her go first.

"Black lace. Nice." He grinned as he peeked up her dress.

She shrieked in surprise as he cackled below her and reached back with a hand, pushing her dress in to hopefully block his gaze as she pulled herself up the ladder.

"Don't stare up my dress, pervert!" She hollered once settled on the top, popping her head over the side to glare at him.

He laughed even harder.

"I only took a peek." He began to climb up, grin wide and salacious as he got closer to her. Her eyes narrowed further once he had his torso over the top, propped up on his arms right in front of her. "And not like I haven't seen it before."

"Kid!" She yelled again, but the swat she gave him wasn't as hard as it could have been, and there was another blush on her cheeks. He even caught a hint of a smile that he immediately leaned in to kiss after pulling himself up the rest of the way.

He hummed against her lips as he pushed her back, forgoing the chaste kisses and pecks they had been sharing most of the night as he swept his tongue through her lips. His hand ran over her cheek and dug in her hair, Nami moaning quietly as she kissed him back. The hand she had on his chest held him at bay, and he pulled away after only a minute to grin down at her.

His gaze went from her hazy eyes to her reddened lips, then down to her chest covered by his hoodie. He chuckled as he reached to unzip the top, startling Nami enough to shake her from her daze to swat at his hand.

"Your bra match?" He asked, still trying to tug at her clothes for a peek that he knew he wouldn't get.

"You don't need to know that!" She huffed and with one more smack, he relented and fell to her side.

"So what the hell are we doin' up here?"

"Talking," she answered easily while getting comfortable again, tugging up the zipper he tried to undo and settling further into the hoodie.

"Why up here?" His brow rose at her when she gave a shrug and looked away.

"My sister and I used to sneak off to the park to talk in the middle of the night. We'd lay at the top of the playset, staring up at the stars, talking about… everything."

Her gaze was distant, fixed on the sky, avoiding his curious expression.

"Sister, huh?" He said lowly while shifting to nudge his left arm beneath her head. It gained her attention and she stared at him warily before letting him pull her over. Once her head was resting on his shoulder, his cheek pressed comfortably to her hair, hand wrapped up to loosely tangle with a few orange locks, he dared to go on. "Didn't know ya had a sister."

"Yeah. We were adopted together. I haven't had a chance to see her in a couple of years."

"You two close?" He asked, taking advantage of her sudden willingness to share more with him. He felt her nod. He stayed silent for a moment longer, warring with the urge to ask a question he knew she wouldn't like, but it was on his mind and he couldn't ignore it. "She work with Arlong, too?"

Nami went stiff against him, as he knew she would, and his fingers ran against her scalp to keep her calm as best he could. "No." She said releasing a heavy rush of air.

That was all the answer she gave, and it was far more than he thought he'd get, so he settled with that much without pressing for more.

"How'd ya meet all your friends?" He asked after a few silent minutes to allow her to relax.

She laughed quietly and shifted in his hold, angling her head up to let him see her smirk. "That's a really long story, Kid. I don't think I have enough time to tell it tonight."

He snorted in amusement. "Fine. Then how'd ya meet Straw Hat Luffy?"

"That's a little easier," she giggled and settled against him. He couldn't help but nestle his nose in her hair, breathing in the citrusy scent that always seemed to cling to her. "I met him and Zoro at the same time. I was working a job…"

"What kind of job?"

"Stealing." She peeked up at him, sticking her tongue out teasingly. "Cat-thief. Remember?"

"Got it. Go on."

"Anyway, I was stealing from the small time mob boss, Buggy." She paused when he snorted. He knew that name, too. "Well, his men were after me when they realized I tricked them and stole all their money, and while they were chasing me, they literally ran into Luffy. One of them touched his hat, he got angry, and punched him."

"Yep, he's as nuts as I heard." Kid laughed.

"I'm not done." She elbowed his side to silence him, but he continued to smirk in amusement. "So, he punched the guy, and I realized he was pretty strong, so I decided to use him." She paused to elbow him again when he gave another snort of amusement. He wasn't surprised that she tried to use the man who eventually became her best friend. She stole his wallet when they first met, and there they were on a date. "I pretended he was my boss, and Luffy being an idiot didn't really argue it, he was too confused. He helped fight the guys off before running with me. I then handed him over to Buggy, pretending to betray my boss, and then offered to work for him in the hopes of getting him off my back."

"And stealing more of his money, I'm sure." He chuckled.

"That should go without saying," she laughed. "Well, Buggy fell for it, and I almost thought I might be able to get out of there without any trouble, but then he wanted to test my loyalty."

Kid's brows shot up when she trailed off and he knew exactly what Buggy must have asked her to do.

"I didn't really care about Luffy, but he seemed nice and I just couldn't kill him. I miscalculated when I tried to use him. The idiot didn't even care if I killed him, though. Just grinned at me while he was chained up, treated me like a friend, even though I had a knife in my hand."

"I can't see ya killin' anyone, Kitten. Doesn't matter how ya feel about 'em." Kid interjected with a frown.

"And you're right. I don't like seeing anyone die in front of me." She sighed and leaned in closer to him.

"So obviously ya didn't kill him. I'm guessin' Buggy didn't like that too much."

"No, he tried to kill us both, but that's when Zoro suddenly showed up and held Buggy's men off. I couldn't believe that Luffy had a guy like Zoro as a friend. He was really well known back in the East as a bounty hunter-"

"I knew he looked familiar!" Kid cut her off again, realizing the Zoro she knew was the infamous bounty hunter Roronoa Zoro. He should have realized it sooner, but all he saw was a man glaring at him and a possible threat. "Your friends with some real monsters."

"I can't argue you there," she laughed, "they are definitely monsters in terms of strength. They're honestly sweethearts, though; especially Luffy. Zoro would argue with me about it, but he's got a good heart. But as I was saying, I was surprised to see Zoro show up. While he tried to take out Buggy and his men, I started picking at Luffy's locks to free him, but Buggy caught Zoro from behind and stabbed him in the back. We had to run with him carrying Luffy out after that. Zoro's an idiot, too. He insisted he'd be fine after a nap, so that's what he did once we were safe while I unchained Luffy. By the time Buggy found us again, both guys were ready for a fight. They beat him, and I struck up a partnership with them… sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Well, I was working for Arlong at that time. I couldn't get too close with them, it'd only bring all of us more trouble than we needed. When I stole all the money we had gotten together and ran back to Arlong, Luffy and Zoro came after me with Sanji and Usopp to get me back."

"They weren't pissed about the cash?" He asked, surprised again by how much she was sharing.

"They didn't care about that." She answered softly, and he knew he wasn't likely to get more answers than that again. "They just wanted their friend back."

"And that's why you were afraid I might hurt them." He said, mostly to himself as realization dawned on him. No wonder she was protective of them, they had saved her from whatever situation she was in with this Arlong guy. She said she had been working for him, but as far as he could tell, she hadn't been working for him willingly. He still had a ton of questions about that, but he was getting far more answers that night than he ever expected to get.

"Yeah." She said quietly as she burrowed her face against his neck.

"I can respect that." His hand squeezed her shoulder again and he turned his face to press his lips to her temple. She needed a distraction. "Why do ya always smell like oranges?"

"Huh?" She pulled away to blink at the completely out of place question.

He chuckled at the reaction as he rolled onto his side to wrap his other arm around her waist. "It's been buggin' me. You always smell like oranges or something like that. And ya taste like 'em, too. Then there's that tattoo with the weird orange looking thing, and I noticed ya got a new necklace with an orange on it, too."

"It's tangerines I love, and is there something wrong with that?" She huffed indignantly while trying to draw herself away from him, only to have him pull her tighter to his chest. She was blushing at all the observations he made.

"Nope, just wonderin' what's up with that." He shrugged. "Never knew a chick so obsessed with one fruit."

"I grew up on a tangerine grove." She answered hotly. "They remind me of home."

"Hmm, guess that's a good reason." He chuckled when she glared at his dismissive response. "Don't look at me like that. I was just curious."

"You make it seem like it's a bad thing." She glowered at him.

"It ain't. Just weird." He laughed when her annoyance only grew. "And it's your fault I crave oranges so much now."

"Now _that's_ weird," she muttered, "and don't blame me for something like that."

"But it is your fault." He crooned while leaning in to press his lips to hers, mumbling against them as he stole a kiss. "Every time I'm with ya, I smell that orange scent on ya, and then when I kiss ya, it's like I'm eatin' oranges."

"They're tangerines," she huffed, cheeks pink in embarrassment as he stole more kisses, even as she tried to pull away.

"Tangerines. Oranges. I don't give a shit. Ya make me crave 'em." He said while rolling her onto her back, lips teasing over hers, trying to coax her into kissing him back. "Killer thought I was sick when ya weren't talkin' to me, 'cause I kept tellin' him to get me oranges every time he went to the store."

"You didn't." She finally giggled beneath him and he managed to snatch her lips in a deeper kiss once she was distracted.

"Mmm, I did… They taste better on you, though," he mumbled into the kiss.

"Kid, we're…" He cut her off with another kiss that he was pleased to have returned. She pulled away a second later with a huff. "We're supposed to be-" He kissed her again, grinning when she groaned in annoyance, but still kissed him back. "- to be talking."

He chuckled as she tried to pout, but he kissed her more and she seemed to forget her arguments for a moment. "I'm done talkin'." He said in between kisses that became longer and longer. "Rather be doin' this." He moaned as his tongue met hers with the next kiss. She really did taste amazing. Another addiction. "Got a problem with that?"

"No," she breathed out before his lips were on hers harder and he wrapped her up in a tight embrace.

He had never expected to enjoy her affections as much as he did. The need for her had become intense over the months since she returned. To have her beneath him yet again, her fingers digging into his hair, making more strands fall loose over his forehead, releasing breathless moans with every sweep of his tongue against hers, winding around him as he pushed one leg between hers, was like a dream come true.

In fact, it was. She plagued his dreams more than once, especially after he first got her in his bed.

His left hand twisted into her hair, his right found her leg and that damn slit that taunted him all night. He groaned against her lips with the feel of her thigh's soft skin. He could have shuddered with pleasure when he felt one of her hands fall to his chest and run down his stomach, grasping at his waist, subtly tugging at his shirt until nails raked over his skin, but he restrained it as he pressed against her. When he heard her mewl as his thigh rubbed against her core, he cursed in his mind.

He was losing control, and so was she.

Still his hand trailed further up her thigh until his thumb was brushing over lace and he felt that hot coil of desire settle in his stomach.

"Fuck," he cursed as he darted to her neck. His grip on her leg tightened as he listened to her panting as he sucked and nipped her flesh. Her body ground against him when he found a tender spot, and he growled as he felt himself swell with the motion. "Nami," he panted, lips catching her ear, tongue teasing over the sensitive auricle. The way her back arched as she gasped nearly made him snap right there, but he clenched his teeth and shut his eyes, freezing over her as he fought off the urges that made her run in fear the first time. "I should get you home."

"Hmm?" She wasn't even listening, and he was ready to toss out whatever promise he made her when her lips brushed over his cheek and jaw.

"Nami," he said more firmly while drawing his hand back down her leg, retreating from her core before he could cross that line again. "Unless ya want this date to end with me fuckin' ya right here on this playground…" She stiffened beneath him, and the gasp she let out wasn't like the others. He had her attention now. "I gotta get ya home."

His face was still buried against her neck, but he felt her nod and let out a shaky breath. He waited, refusing to relinquish his hold until she pulled her hands off of him. With a deep breath, he pushed himself up to hover over her, his hands planted on either side of her head. Her cheeks were a deep red, and in the dim light of the park's lamps, he could see her blush travel down her neck, disappearing into his hoodie. Her lips were an even darker red, swollen and parted as she steadied her breathing. Her hair was a mess of tangles from his hand digging into the strands. He called himself an idiot for stopping, wanted nothing more than to slam his lips to hers.

It was her eyes that gave him pause.

Whatever fog of lust that might have been in them before was absent. Her eyes were guarded, restrained, and perfectly rational again. She had control and she wouldn't lose it, not that night.

Once more he cursed himself for pulling away, but he knew it was for the best. He had to know patience with her, he had to let her have this pace, slow as it was. He was sure to be rewarded eventually for his effort. He'd have her in his bed eventually, hopefully permanently. He waited for two years just to see her again. He waited months before he had her beneath him once. He could wait again. He _would_ wait again.

He rolled away and sat up at the edge of the playset's platform. Eyes shut, a hand digging into his hair as he took deep breaths through his nose, he listened as Nami moved behind him. He didn't dare look, not until he had tempered his lust.

"Kid?" She prompted from somewhere that was far too close. He could almost pick up that citrusy scent.

His other hand pointed out in front of him to the ground below as he took another deep breath. "Head on down first. I just need a minute." When he didn't hear her move immediately, he dared to glance at her out of the corner of an eye and frowned at her confused and slightly concerned gaze. He sighed, pointing down between his legs. "Impulse control ain't exactly something I practice often, 'specially when I'm this fuckin' hard. Trust me, I'd fuck ya here and now if ya let me, and if ya sit up here with me, I'm gonna be tempted to do just that. So get your ass down there before that happens."

She squeaked and her blush deepened, only making things worse. His eyes shut again and he drew up a knee to rest his forehead on it. He was glad to hear her climb down a moment later. At least he told himself he was glad. If she had stayed after that warning, he would have been happier, if only because he wouldn't waste his time wedging himself between her legs, making her scream his name without a care of who heard.

That image was going to torment him when he took a cold shower later.

It took a minute before he felt ready to come down for her. He was still uncomfortably aroused, but it had lessened, so he untucked his shirt to help hide the evidence before taking her under his arm. They walked back to the car in silence, Nami clutching his hoodie to her chest, and when he glanced at her, he could tell she was lost in her mind.

When he spied her blush again, he knew she was thinking about him.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

Nami was happy to see the night end… but at the same time felt a pang of disappointment.

Her happiness came from a sense of relief. The night went by easily, and she enjoyed her time alone with Kid. The conversation, while at times difficult for her, was good and she didn't hesitate as much opening up to him about parts of her past life. Very select parts, but still far more than she had shared previously. She was glad he wanted to know about her, about her friends, and she felt even more confident hearing him state he understood why she worried about her friends' safety with him.

She felt secure in her decision to give him a second chance.

Her only disappointment was that she would have to part from him once they were at her door. She had almost lost control at the playground. In fact, she had, but somehow Kid found his own again and held to his promise that they would go slow. She was surprised that he hadn't taken things further, but the fact he didn't, that he respected her wishes, only made her confidence in their budding relationship grow. Except now she was left with a need that couldn't be sated, at least not yet.

She couldn't give in, it would only hand control back to him, and that didn't bode well for her.

"I had fun tonight," she spoke up as he walked her from his car, arm hooked around her shoulders as it was always wont to do.

"Yeah?" He glanced down with a cocky smirk. When she gave him a smile in return, he chuckled and squeezed her shoulder, looking ahead once more. "Then guess ya have no problem doing this again?"

"Nope, no problem." She frowned as a thought came to her, leaning her head against his side with a small sigh. "I have exams coming up soon, though, so I won't have a lot of free time for the next few weeks."

"Just give me a call or text any time ya need a break, we'll work it out." He shrugged, unconcerned. "Even if it's just hangin' at Shakky's, we'll find somethin' to do. You're welcome at my place anytime, too. You can study there."

"Too noisy with four boys around. Plus, I'm pretty sure you'll be too much of a distraction and I won't get any studying done." She stuck her tongue at him as he laughed again.

"True enough."

She turned to him once they reached her door, smirking up at him as his arm fell down to her waist to draw her in for a loose hug.

"Thanks." She said with a small tug on his tie. He quirked his brow and she pushed onto her toes to give him a peck on his lips. "For holding back earlier." She explained.

He grunted, swept in for another kiss before she got too far. "I told ya I don't want to chase ya around every time you panic. I want you to want this, too." He chuckled as his other arm wrapped around her back, holding her tighter, forehead pressed to hers. "And I definitely don't want ya givin' me the cold shoulder again. A guy can only eat so many oranges before he gets sick."

"Tangerines," she corrected with a laugh and swat at his chest. "And seriously, you did not."

"Ask Killer." He grinned.

"I can't believe you're even admitting to that. It's so weird."

"Coming from the girl who eats 'em so much she smells and tastes like them." He chuckled. "And a guy's gotta console his broken heart somehow."

She snorted at the hint of sarcasm in his tone and smacked his chest again. She knew he had been hurt, but she didn't think it was that bad. Still, she felt a pang of guilt she quickly squashed with another kiss that Kid didn't hesitate to deepen with a grin.

She was quickly realizing he never did anything halfway. Even a kiss, it was all or nothing, intense and hungry and utterly consuming.

It was any wonder either of them could keep control.

"Good night, Kid," she panted when she finally found it in her to push him away.

"'Night, Kitten," he said with a grin, even though he was slow to release her from his hold.

He gave her waist a tiny squeeze when she turned to her door. His hand fell away once it was unlocked and she pushed her way inside before she could think to invite him in. She glanced back at him with another smile, sincere and amused at the confident smirk he still wore, watching it grow as she slowly shut the door.

He was still so certain, and she would still cling to that resolve.

She wasn't disappointed with that decision yet.

* * *

**Yay! They had a happy first date. XD Hope ya guys liked it.**

**Oh, and a few reassurances for those who might be curious about potential plot elements: no, there will be no love triangle at all in this, and no, there will be no pregnancy route. You should all know my intense dislike for most love triangles, and there is just no way I'd inflict some angsty pregnancy on these two, either, especially since I'm writing this as a generally unhealthy relationship (no way I'd bring an innocent child into that).**

**So, you guys can feel some relief there (or disappointment if you were hoping for a love triangle- seriously, I tend to drop most fics with them when I'm reading, that's how much I dislike them in fanfiction).**

**Updates at this point will probably be bi-weekly, by the way, while I try to make some headway on _Bloodstains_. Unless I have some major motivation and get a ton of work done, but splitting my attention is difficult to do at times, so don't expect it.**


	15. Chapter 15

_Finally finished with this chapter. Whew. Just gotta keep building up the sexual tension again... and show more of Kid's adorkably lovable side... and almost more sexual tension._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_The Importance of a Title_

Nami was laid out on her stomach in bed, meteorology textbook and neatly organized notes in front of her, when her cell phone rang. A glance at the clock showed it was nearing eight.

Right on time.

"Hey, Kid," she answered, smiling easily as she divided her attention between her studies and the call.

"Yo," he grunted. "Studyin'?"

"Yeah." She answered with a stifled giggle. Every time he called her over the last two weeks, he asked her that first, despite knowing the answer already. Since their first date, he'd been calling her every night to talk for a few minutes, willfully interrupting her studies to steal her attention. The first time she lectured him about it, but each night since, she'd begun to look forward to the short conversations. They gave her mind a much needed rest.

"Aren't you done with that yet?" His tone sounded uncaring, but Nami could tell he was whining. She had refused to see him in the middle of exams. The best he got was a half an hour at the coffee shop one morning after he finished working an overnight shift, meeting her there before she had to run to class.

He almost made her late _again_ after pulling her in for a kiss when they stepped outside to go their separate ways. For Kid, one kiss tended to take a while and involved a lot of tongue.

After that she was resolute in her decision to not see him until after exams were done. He bitched about it for a solid ten minutes. She didn't even bother listening to it. She set her phone down and made a quick dinner while he ranted on. She picked up again when she could hear him shouting her name to get her attention.

"Almost," she laughed. "Tomorrow's my last exam, and Robin's looking over the history paper I have due on Monday. I should only have to make a few changes to it over the weekend when she gives it back, and that won't take long."

"Fucking finally." He huffed. She let out an amused snort at the relief in his voice. It was as if he was the one who had to do all the work for exams, not her.

"I should have said I had another week of this." She taunted, giggling at the irritated growl he let loose. "Make you suffer a few more days."

"Hell no. I want to see you." His straight forward honesty never failed to make her blush. "Come on, Nami. I've been patient."

"You've called me every single day for the last two weeks." She pointed out flatly, her tone not giving away the pink of her cheeks or the fluttering in her stomach. She wanted to see him, too. Even more so when she thought about their parting at the café. She wouldn't make it so easy for him.

"Tsh, yeah, but I didn't show up at your doorstep like I was thinkin' to a few nights ago, so give me some credit."

"I wouldn't have answered the door if you did that." She let out a sigh and shut her textbook. She wasn't going to get any more studying in that night.

"Wanna bet? I'd have sat out there knocking until ya got sick of it and let me in just to shut me up." He chuckled.

She wasn't sure if he'd go that far. He couldn't have been _that_ desperate. Still, she wondered. "I swear sometimes you're worse than Luffy." He snorted, even though he had no idea just how obnoxiously persistent Luffy could be. "And more than living up to your own name, _Kid_."

He let out another snort at the insult, brushing it off easily. "I still know you'd have let me in. Don't lie. You've been missin' me this whole time."

"Nope. Not at all." She lied easily.

"Mhm. You'd have flung that door open after one knock and thrown yourself at me." He teased, calling her bluff. She wouldn't have gone that far, but she probably would have let him in after a few minutes of making him wait.

She definitely wouldn't have thrown herself at him, though.

"You wish." She tried not to laugh, but failed. "But really, Kid, these two weeks could not have been that hard on you. You've gone a few weeks without seeing me before."

"Yeah, but that was before I got ya to be my girl." She rolled her eyes at the title he still insisted on giving her, but didn't correct it. It wasn't entirely wrong anymore, but it still felt oddly possessive to her. He chuckled and his voice dropped low, making her stomach do a flip as he went on. "I should've kept ya longer last time I saw ya. Didn't want to stop kissin' you."

"You almost made me late as it was," she huffed, irritated. Her cheeks were on fire. "You said one kiss."

"That was one kiss." He barked with laughter.

Her whole face was bright red. "Making out in the middle of the sidewalk does not count as just one kiss!"

"Does to me." He laughed even louder and she suddenly wanted to hang up on him.

"You are such a pain in the ass," she groaned. "Just for that, I shouldn't let you see me for another month."

"Oi! I was just kidding!" He hollered, his amusement vanishing at the threat. He knew she'd try to go through with it, even if she only managed to keep him at bay for a few days, she'd still try. "I ain't apologizing for it, though."

"Of course you're not," she sighed with another roll of her eyes. He didn't really need to. She _had_ enjoyed it, even if it was poor timing.

"Come on, Kitten. Hang out with me tomorrow night." She hummed thoughtfully at the request, knowingly torturing him. He growled lowly when she didn't immediately answer. She hummed a little louder, and he huffed in defeat. "I miss ya."

He really knew what to say sometimes to make it hard to say no.

"Fine." She relented with an exasperated sigh. "Shakky's at seven tomorrow?"

"Whatever ya want." She could hear the grin in his voice. "Now admit ya missed me, too."

"No." She answered stubbornly, pouting for effect, even if he couldn't see. He could probably tell by her tone.

"Still cute when you're in denial." He chuckled. "Maybe I should just come over tonight. Bet you're makin' that cute little pouty face, too. Just imaginin' it makes me tempted to show up."

"Don't you dare." She warned. "I need to get a decent night's rest for my last test, and if you come over I can kiss sleep goodbye."

She wanted to kick herself for her wording as he cackled. "Thought ya said you wouldn't let me in, but there ya go talkin' 'bout kissin'."

"I…" She stuttered as her face heated up and she searched for words to defend herself. "I just meant I wouldn't be able to sleep if you pounded on my door all night like you said!"

"Sure. I know you were thinkin' that you'd let me in…" The chuckle he let out was lower, knowing, and strangely seductive. "And you were thinkin' about another way I'd keep ya up all night."

"I was not!" Nami not going to admit that he was right. She didn't need to, he already knew, and she hated him for that.

"Tell me what you think I'd do to you if I came over tonight. What kind of dirty thoughts do ya have in your head, Kitten?" He teased, voice giving away the wolfish grin she imagined he wore.

"I'm hanging up on you now, Kid." She huffed.

"Tsh, mood killer." He chuckled and she knew he wasn't serious, much to her relief. He knew he wouldn't get any answer out of her to that sort of a question. "You still game to meet up tomorrow night?"

"I guess," she sighed. "I should say no after that teasing, but…" She trailed off, refusing to say she missed spending time with him, too. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright, Kitten. See ya." She could picture that cocky smirk he had as he spoke this time. He knew.

She buried her face in her bed after hanging up. She had no idea how that man made it so difficult to take things slow. Even talking over the phone made her crave more.

The heat of his touch, the intensity of his emotions and those he elicited in her, it all proved to be a quick addiction.

She wondered how long she'd last before she needed more.

* * *

When she pulled into the parking lot, she was immediately greeted by Kid's grin as he leaned against his car waiting for her. The smile only seemed to widen as she climbed off her bike and he pushed off his car to come closer.

"You really did miss me," she teased as his arms wound around her waist from behind. He pressed a kiss to her cheek once her helmet was off, humming in answer. "At least I answered when you called me _every night_."

He growled against her cheek, lips refusing to move as he gave one more kiss. "Don't even joke about that, Nami." He gave a nip to her jaw and finally pulled away. "And it ain't the same."

"You're just greedy." She sighed, but pushed up on her toes to leave a peck on his lips.

He grinned. "So says the cat thief."

Laughing, she grabbed him by the hand and tugged him toward the bar. "Well then you know it's true since I'm an expert."

His fingers slid between hers and gave her hand a squeeze, chuckling beside her. She never thought she'd be so happy to be free to spend more time with Kid. It didn't seem all that long ago that she was dreading every second she might be stuck with him.

He fought his way into her life, and she was oddly fine with that.

"Come on. I'll let you buy me a drink tonight for making you suffer for so long." She gave him her brightest smile and the bark of laughter she got in return, tugged against his side as he wrapped his arm around her, made her forget all about exams and papers and life. Tonight she got to be free again.

Nami settled in at Kid's usual table while he grabbed a pitcher from Shakky. For a moment she was curious about what his friends might be up to that night if they didn't join Kid at the bar, and she asked as much when he got to the table, taking up the seat beside her. Killer had to work, and the other two were in the midst of a day long video game battle that couldn't be interrupted. She had a feeling Kid was glad that was the case, he didn't seem too eager about sharing her attention with anyone else.

That was too bad.

"Nami!" A voice called out from the entrance only fifteen minutes after they sat down.

The red head jumped from her chair to wave at her two friends, ignoring the sour look on Kid's face. "Robin! Franky! You made it!"

"Oi." Kid grunted beside her, scowling at the newcomers until she swatted the back of his head.

"Behave." She hissed when he sent her a glare. She returned the hard gaze until he huffed, crossed his arms over his chest, and sunk down into his chair. His head turned away, pointing his glare at innocent patrons who began to squirm and shift away, unsure if the ten feet between their tables would be enough protection with the surly look Kid had.

"We did." Robin smiled, quirking a brow at the sulking man and then turning her curious look to Nami. The young woman lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "And I brought your paper to go over like you asked."

"Thank you so much for reading it." She said as they all sat down. Her smile didn't even falter when Kid nudged her leg under the table with his, obviously annoyed. "Oh, and Franky," she turned to the large man who was eyeing Kid with an amused smile. "This is Kid. Kid," she slammed her elbow into his side, jerking him upright as he leveled another glare at her, "this is Robin's boyfriend, Franky."

"Heh, so you're the new boyfriend who won over Nami's heart." The older man chuckled.

"Franky!" Nami attempted to reprimand. She ignored the way Kid's glare vanished, replaced with a confident grin as his eyes slid across the table to the man. "Don't say things like that!"

"Why not? It's true." Franky frowned.

"I like him already." Kid laughed, noticeably relaxing now. Nami rolled her eyes and decided it was best to ignore them, maybe they wouldn't tease her if she didn't respond.

"But anyway, Robin told me all about you," Franky went on, leaning over the table with a grin. Kid's knee smacked into her leg again, and she nudged him back without a word. "How's the arm holding together?"

"Great." Kid grunted, flexing his left hand in front of him. "It's a real beauty, and a lot better than that ugly stump."

"Let me see," Franky beckoned. The red head hesitated for a split second, but held his arm across the table after rolling up the sleeve of his hoodie and allowed him to take it. Franky hummed as he turned it back and forth, manipulating the joints of the wrist and elbow while Kid watched on patiently, much to Nami's surprise. "You're taking good care of it. Any problems with those magnetic joints you designed?"

"Nah, not really. Only had the elbow dislocate once, and one of the knuckles popped out of position when I got in a fight, but otherwise it's just like my old arm." Kid shrugged as he took his arm and pushed his sleeve back down.

"Those joints were a great idea. I started playing with the design myself, trying to find an easier way to reproduce them so more people can utilize them in their prosthetics. They weren't easy or cheap to put together the way you designed it."

"I wanted it to be as real as possible, and if spending a little extra cash got that, then it was worth it. I had a few ideas on mass production that might lower the cost, but I didn't think the quality would stand up."

"Hmm, that's true, and you'd rather have something exceptionally well made, and customized, if it's going to a living human being." Franky mused. "But the mass production could be good in robotics."

Nami glanced at Kid then, noticing when he sat a little straight. She propped her chin in her hand to hide her knowing smirk. She knew this was a good idea.

"It could. With robots, there isn't as much physical strain and demand on the joints, at least not in the early stages or generic robotics. Plus there won't be variation between robots created for the same purpose, so no need to customize for each individual unit. Go to more life-like, A.I. type shit, ya might prefer the customized joints to give them those fluid movements." Kid added.

"That's a good point." Franky nodded and then a wide grin spread over his face as he leaned over the table some more. "Mind if I pick your brain a bit? I'm building a robot and could use the input with a few things."

Kid's smirk looked as relaxed and devilish as it normally did as he sat back, taking a sip of his beer, but Nami could practically feel the excitement radiating from him. Oh yes, very good idea.

"Shoot." He grinned then, gesturing with two fingers to tell him to go on.

Before Franky could break into what Nami imagined to be a lengthy series of ideas and questions, Robin broke in with a knowing giggle. A hand went to her boyfriend's arm as she pushed up from the table. "I think we'll leave you two boys to talk shop. Nami and I have a paper to go over. Nami?"

The ginger smiled at her friend then glanced over at Kid, standing to go with Robin. She smiled even wider when he waved her off, his full attention rapt by his conversation with Franky. If she had known this would be his reaction, she would have had them meet weeks ago. It might have saved her from nightly phone calls.

"They're hitting it off well," Robin chuckled as they made their way to the bar. "And Eustass-san seems much calmer than when I first met him."

"I think it helps that I gave him a chance." She glanced back at Kid to see him leaning over the table again, his hand gesturing over the wood, pointing to it as if they were discussing some diagram or blueprint only they could see. He looked absolutely ecstatic. "And even before," she turned back to Robin as they slipped onto their stools, "he could be calm and laid back. Even that day you saw him at the coffee shop he had been calm."

"Up until he tried to drag you into his lap," she chuckled, sending a wave at Shakky to get them both new drinks.

Nami pursed her lips and looked away, hoping to hide her blush. "Well… yeah." She shook her head. "But really, Kid's a pretty good guy once you get to know him. Not perfect, not by a long shot, and still an asshole most of the time, but… he's got his own sort of charm."

"Everyone does, I suppose." Robin hummed, this time it was her turn to glance over at the guys. "I think you're right about having him meet Franky. It could be good for him."

"I hope so." Nami sighed, sending one last fleeting look over to Kid before turning to Robin once more. "Enough about them, we have a paper to discuss."

Robin chuckled, reaching into her purse to pull out the assignment. Nami blanched when she saw red marks sprinkled all over the first page. Was it really so bad?

"It was a good paper, Nami. You're very well informed about the fishmen race, and I'm amazed by how much research you put into this… especially considering…" She trailed off with a small frown that Nami waved off.

"I have no grudge against the fishmen, only the one. And I wanted to understand them better, that's why I picked the topic on politics and race relations between humans and fishmen. I didn't know how hard they had it until Hachi told me, and I couldn't believe such a strong race could endure that sort of torment. I needed to know more." She smiled weakly, showing the sympathy she held for the race that had been looked down upon for centuries by humans and the government. She knew the government was corrupt from experience, but to see just how horrible things were for the people she had grown up amongst; it was almost too much to believe.

"That's a very mature outlook," Robin nodded proudly. "And as I said, the paper was good, but I think you could do better. There were a few sections I think you could stand to elaborate on, but otherwise, factually, this paper is spot on. I would also suggest touching more on the current unrest among the fishmen, if you think you can, and how the old prejudices are affecting the youth, as well as the resurgence in gang activity that's disrupting human and fishmen alike."

Nami hummed, staring down at her paper and flipping through the sheets as she thought on that. It would be a good idea to go over that, but it might be more difficult considering who the gangs were looking to emulate. "I'll see what I can come up with," is all she gave as an answer, but Robin seemed to understand that might be as much as she could get from her.

"So tell me how your exams went?" Robin changed the subject with a question, banishing the heavy air that came with thoughts on the Fishmen Gang.

She laughed, sending her friend a cheeky smile and wink. "I passed them all, of course."

* * *

"You little sneak," he growled in her ear before strong arms wrapped around her shoulders from behind. Nami laughed, tilting her head back to see Kid glowering.

Robin had gotten up to return to the table a moment before, leaving Nami behind at the bar as she finished going over her notes one last time. She had spent the last twenty minutes picking Robin's brain on revolutionaries, a topic coming up in the next section of her history course. She wanted to know as much as she could before the section began to keep her ahead. It also gave the boys time to talk about robots and whatever else they could think up. Nami had peeked over from time to time, glad to see Kid get so involved in a conversation about things he enjoyed.

He was cute when he looked excited.

"I have no idea what you mean, Kid," she smiled. His eyes narrowed when she pressed a peck to his jaw, but he sank against her back and his hold tightened, telling her he wasn't as annoyed as he seemed. "You looked like you were having fun."

He grunted and buried his face against her neck. "Still don't like that you talked about that shit with your friends."

"Just Robin," she sighed, resting her head against his hair. "And I thought it would be good for you to have someone you can talk about cars and robots and all that stuff with, someone who wouldn't look down on you." He hummed, the closest thing to saying he understood she was likely to get. "But really, you looked adorable when Franky brought up his robot."

He snorted and she felt him press a kiss to her neck. "He told me I can come by any time to take a look at it." He chuckled, left another kiss and another as he trailed up her neck. "And adorable? Really, Kitten? A girl's not supposed to think her boyfriend's adorable."

He laughed harder when she went stiff in his hold. Stuttering and blushing, she tried to pull away, but he wouldn't release her as he pressed a hard kiss to her temple.

"Ya didn't deny it." He teased, grinning smugly as she tried to hide her red face in her hands. "I like the sound of that- Nami's boyfriend."

"I'm going to kill Franky for calling you that." She groaned, slumping forward over the bar, face hidden in crossed arms. Kid didn't release her, he shifted to move with her, remaining pressed against her back. She could feel his hot breath on her cheek, the smell of his ale enveloping her as he nuzzled into her arm, not letting her hide completely.

"You still haven't denied it, Kitten." He chuckled when she groaned louder. "I wanna hear you say it, though."

"No." She pouted, finally tilting her face to look at him.

He smirked as his eyes went to her lower lip. "There's that look I've been missin'."

Kid moved in to snatch a kiss from her, his arms wrapping around her head, hiding them from the rest of the bar. She swatted at him when he nipped her lower lip and tried to deepen it. "Not here." She hissed, but his lips were on hers again a moment later. Her hand found his hair and gave a sharp tug, jerking him away so she could glare at him. "Kid."

He grinned salaciously. "I love it when ya pull my hair."

"Kid!"

"Come on. Say it."

"No."

"Just once."

"No."

"It'll make me happier than the robots."

She hesitated, narrowing her eyes on him. "… No."

"Tsh, cruel woman."

His sulky pout, that he would never admit to having, made her giggle as she pushed him away. "Let's go back to the table."

"I'd rather just go make out with you somewhere." He muttered, stumbling backwards as she continued to push him. Her glare was answered with a grin as his arms wrapped around her waist. "Come on, Kitten. I know ya want to, too."

"No." She pressed her hand to his face when he tried to lean in and steal a kiss. He frowned again. "What? Are you already bored talking about robots?"

"I didn't come here tonight to talk about robots, I came here to hang out with you."

"We are hanging out." She rolled her eyes and gave him another shove. He didn't even budge. "Just be patient." She gave a teasing pat to his cheek as she smiled. "I'll make it up to you later."

His grin returned when she winked, and he was practically pulling her to the table after that. He was eager to get his reward for good behavior.

* * *

Robin and Franky didn't plan to stay much longer, Nami knew, which was why she urged patience to Kid. After another hour of relaxing and chatting, a portion of it about various projects Kid was working on in his workshop at home, the other couple decided to call it a night and head home.

"So, are you really mad at me for inviting them?" She asked playfully while they finished off the last pitcher.

"Nah," he shrugged, pulling her closer with an arm around her waist. "It's fine." She felt his smirk when he leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Depending on how ya plan to make it up to me, of course."

"Kid." She swatted at his shoulder, knowing what he might prefer for her to do.

He chuckled and nipped at her ear then pulled away. "You ready to go?"

With her nod, he stood, taking her under his arm as she followed suit and they headed out to the parking lot together.

"I was thinking maybe we could do something next weekend," Nami suggested as they neared their vehicles. "How about taking me to a movie next Friday night?"

"Gotta work that night, won't be done until early Saturday morning." Kid grunted, sharing in her disappointment. He dragged her into a loose hug as he leaned back against his car, his arms crossed at her lower back, and gave her a thoughtful smirk. "You can come over to my house after and we can watch something there before I crash in bed."

"I don't think that's a good idea." She frowned.

"Why not?" He chuckled, leaning down to rest his forehead against hers. The mirth in his eyes told her he already knew why, but he still wanted to hear it.

"I'd rather not be on a date with you and have a bed close by."

"I don't see why it should matter," he laughed again. His nose brushed hers as he tilted his head to steal a peck, his breath fluttering over her lips when he chuckled again. "Not like I need a bed, anyway." His lips snatched hers for a brief moment. "Thought ya figured that out after our first date." He smirked, then stole another kiss, longer with a sweep of his tongue past her lips that made her moan and sink into his embrace. Her hands dug into his hair as he trailed kisses over her cheek, sucked on her ear and neck until she was moaning more. "Hell, even at the café…" He groaned as he hungrily tasted her and his arms held her tight to him. "I definitely don't need a bed if I want to fuck you."

His lips found hers once more, Kid panting between furious kisses. She tilted her head into his touch when his hand brushed over her cheek, pushing away a few loose strands and then tangling into her hair. He spun and she gasped when her back hit his car and he pressed his body hard to hers. Her body was on fire and she couldn't breathe, even when his mouth latched to her neck again. She let out a whimpering mewl when the hand at her waist trailed to her hip and then around to her bottom, his fingers digging into the muscle. A leg was pressed between hers and he tugged her hips forward, forcing her to grind on him as he swallowed a louder moan with another heated kiss.

Two weeks of pent up desire was fueling him, and she was having a difficult time holding on to reason as her mind fogged over with his desperate touches.

"I could fuck you right here," he groaned into her ear as he pressed his hips against her, letting her feel how hard he was already. He growled lowly in frustration as the movement excited him more and he licked over a sensitive spot that made her jolt in his arms and cling to him, her body asking for more. "Come over tonight."

"I can't. I have-" He cut off her excuse with a kiss, and she forgot her reason the second his hand unwound from her hair and trailed down her chest. Her back arched as fingertips brushed over a tender nipple through her shirt. He rolled his hips against her again as his hand clasped around her breast, squeezing it in time with every roll of his hips. With each movement, his hold on her butt pulled her against him again, grinding his leg over her clothed core, and sending pleasurable shocks through her that made her desperate for more.

"Kid." She gasped when he pulled back for air, but he sealed his lips to hers again, taking all thought from her mind. Her hips were rolling against him freely when his hand trailed down her stomach, pulling a whimper from her as her breast ached for more of his touch. Her tongue swept into his mouth and she moaned when fingers danced over the skin of her waist, teasing under her shirt and the top of her jeans.

A moan rumbled from his throat as he pressed her against his car harder, and she shuddered when his fingertips went deeper into her pants, brushing over the top of her slit. She let out a muffled cry into the kiss, Kid growling a low curse as he eagerly unbuttoned her jeans and began to work the zipper down.

He was just shoving his hand back into her pants when a car horn blared down the street and Nami snapped back to reality.

"Stop." She gasped, a hand clamping over his wrist while the other pushed at his chest. She was shaking, gasping for air, her body screaming for more that her mind just wouldn't allow. He was breathing heavily, too, but froze against her. He didn't move. He was waiting, hoping. "Stop." She said again when a finger curled over her clitoris, and his movement ceased once more. "Not here." She forced herself to say, screwing her eyes shut and stifling a whimper as she squeezed his wrist tighter. "Not now." She heard him growl, but she shook her head. "I can't. Not yet."

"Damn it." He said while reluctantly pulling away from her.

She opened her eyes to look up at him. He stood straight, crossed his arms against the car above her head and buried his face against a bicep. All she could see was his tight scowl and his nostrils flaring as he breathed deeply. His neck was tense, jaw flexing with every rush of air through his lungs. As he tried to calm down, she shifted to refasten her jeans with shaky hands, but stilled when his body went rigid and he hissed through clenched teeth.

"Don't move." He warned lowly. "Fuck…" He gave a small roll of his hips against her, the movement out of his control, and she felt his erection clearly through his cargo pants. "Fuck," he repeated, sounding pained, "don't move."

"Sorry," she winced, glancing back up at him. He was frustrated, more than she had ever seen before, but he restrained himself from going further. He moved enough to meet her gaze, his eyes looked angry, starved, and she swore he could snap at any moment.

"Ain't your fault," he sighed heavily and hid his eyes again. She watched his nostrils continue to flare. A breath in. A breath out. A breath in. A breath out. Over and over until his body relaxed and he sank against her, exhausted. His face moved to her hair where he took another deep breath before pressing a hard kiss to the top of her head. "I lost control." He chuckled into her hair. "Guess you're right about avoiding dates with a bed around."

She huffed in amusement. "Well, you're right, too." She really wanted to reach out and touch him as they talked, run her hands over his chest that hung temptingly in front of her face, wrap her arms around his waist in a secure hug. She didn't dare. "Bed or not makes no difference."

"Told ya." He hummed. "Takin' ya to a movie's probably a bad idea, too." He pulled back with a wolfish grin when she cocked her head in confusion. "Dark room. Get ya in the back, where no one can see us… Movie oughta be loud enough to keep 'em from hearing you, too. Though I'd be curious if I could get ya to be louder."

"Kid!" She reprimanded, slapping his chest with a bright blush on her cheeks. He was absolutely shameless and insatiable. He couldn't think she'd allow that.

"Mmm, ya better get out of here, Kitten." His grin only grew wider. "I'm givin' myself a lot of naughty thoughts about things I could do to ya." He chuckled when she squeaked in surprise, his hand sneaking down to give her ass a hard squeeze. "We'll figure out somethin' to do later, but you gotta run before I forget to hold back again."

She darted out of his hold the moment he moved back enough to give her room to escape. He chuckled, and when the sound turned into a pained groan, she glanced back from her bike to see him reaching into his pants to adjust himself. She couldn't believe he was capable of controlling himself now, one look at his eyes told her his restraint was holding on by a hair's breadth.

She decided then, he was more than deserving of a little reward.

He watched her warily when she suddenly came closer again, her helmet tucked under one arm while the other reached for his shoulder, and tugged him down. Pushing onto her tip toes, she pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek and smiled mischievously at him.

"Thanks." She giggled at his furrowed brows and leaned up to place another peck on the shell of his ear, then whispered, "For being a patient boyfriend."

She darted away before he could grab her, laughing hysterically at his wide eyes, gaping mouth, and surprisingly red cheeks. Flinging herself onto her bike, she secured her helmet and started it up. He was grinning when she glanced at him again, slumped back against his car with his head down, shaking side to side as he chuckled.

"Damn, Kitten. I'm gonna get ya back for that." He muttered just loud enough for her to hear over the sound of her engine. "Teasing little minx."

"I'll call you later, Kid," she laughed.

He waved in answer while he pressed his other hand to his face, sweeping it up through his hair. He was still adorably flustered. He had asked her to say that word earlier, but apparently he hadn't expected his own reaction to be so strong. Then again, her calling him by that title had been a complete surprise, even to her.

As she pulled away, she smiled to herself.

Having Eustass Kid as a boyfriend wasn't the worst thing in the world.

* * *

_Kid will not rest until he gets to fuck Nami again. Not at all. The poor man is gonna be hurting for a little while longer, though. Cockblocking him is fun, but dangerous for my sanity, probably._


	16. Chapter 16

_Another chapter to remind you all that no, this is not a very healthy relationship and it is fraught with issues. Also, this chapter highlights the forced rationalization people tend to fall into with these sorts of relationships- where they know there are problems, but cling to the good parts and just try to avoid heartache. It might make it tough to read, if only because a lot of people might look at it and go 'oh shit, I've done that' or the opposite and deny that it's really possible or something they've never experienced, but I can say that it's more common than a lot of people expect, and most don't tend to realize when they do it._

_So yeah, we'll call this another red-flag sort of chapter. :)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_Tensions Arise_

When another Friday rolled around, Nami wasn't surprised to get a call from Kid, asking her to go out with his crew.

"I can't," she sighed, chewing on a lip as she wiped off a glass, cell phone cradled against her shoulder.

"Why not?" He asked, annoyed.

"… I'm actually working." She admitted, sending a wary glance at Shakky. She was hoping to keep this from Kid, even though she knew he was bound to call and find out. The last thing she needed was for him to come down and create trouble at the bar while she picked up a shift.

The line was silent for a long moment, Kid processing what she said and her uneasiness in telling him.

"Working?" He asked slowly. "Didn't think ya had a job, Kitten."

His tone screamed suspicion, either he didn't believe her or he thought she had a job that she kept him in the dark about. It didn't matter what exactly he thought, but she knew he'd blow up if she didn't reassure him.

"Not normally," she sighed again and set the glass down to pick up another. "But I don't want to burn through my savings while I'm in school, so Shakky offered to let me help out from time to time. She's short staffed tonight, asked me to come in and help bartend."

"Hm," she heard him shift as he let out a thoughtful hum, his annoyance seeping back into the sound. "And ya didn't tell me because…?"

"Because I didn't think it was important." She huffed in annoyance. She set down the glass in her hands harder than necessary as her temper thinned with his accusatory attitude. Sure, she hadn't wanted him to know if she could avoid it, but it wasn't like she was lying to him or sneaking around. She just didn't want any drama at work. "I didn't know if you were going to call me or not to hang out, and when Shakky called me an hour ago, I figured it wouldn't hurt to come in. I didn't think it would be that big a deal if I told you or not."

"Whatever," he grunted dismissively, his attitude only further inciting her. She restrained her temper, seething silently. "I would've found out eventually. The guys and I were planning to go to _Rip-Off_ tonight."

She panicked at that, eyes frantically going to Shakky who merely shrugged, unaware of why Nami was suddenly on edge.

"Are you sure you want to come here tonight?" Nami asked, despite herself.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean? We always hang out there, and if you're there, then I damn well want to be there." Kid grumbled, his own temper getting dangerously thin.

"I'm going to be serving other people, Kid, I won't be able to give you all the attention I know you're going to demand."

"Tsh, I'll let ya work. I won't get in your way, but I expect a fucking proper apology for not tellin' me you were working there tonight," he growled. "I know what you were tryin' to do."

"I wasn't trying to do anything." She was already defeated and pressing her luck trying to argue.

"Don't fuckin' lie, Nami, I know ya don't want me there. Ya just fuckin' said as much." He was pissed. "I'll see ya."

She winced when the call cut out abruptly, Kid not even waiting for her to respond. "Shit," she cursed as she stared at her phone.

"Boyfriend mad?" Shakky asked flippantly as she lit a cigarette.

Nami glanced up to see she looked worried despite the uncaring air. "That's putting it lightly," she sighed. "I probably should have just told him."

"Probably," the older woman shrugged, "but I did call you in last minute, didn't have time to really think it through, and I don't blame you for wanting to keep him away. Last time you worked for me, you were the center of attention with all the guys. Eustass-chan won't take that well."

Nami set her phone down and laid her head on folded arms atop the bar, whimpering dramatically at her fate that night. "I'm screwed."

"I'm sure he'll forgive you," Shakky chuckled. "He likes you well enough." She laughed again when Nami pouted at her. "Just have to hope none of the other customers get any ideas with you. That's when it'll turn ugly."

She let out an exaggerated wail as Shakky gave her a reassuring pat on the back. She was going to face the worst shift of her life that night.

* * *

Nami jumped when the door was roughly thrown open an hour later. She didn't need to look up from the drink she was mixing to know who it was, nor did she need to look up when he tossed himself into the stool in front of her and slammed his arms down on the bar.

She frowned at the irrational fear racing through her as she listened to him huff and grind his teeth together, impatiently waiting for her to acknowledge him. When she hesitantly glanced up, she felt her lip quiver at his surly glare and lowered her head again as she tossed a skewered cherry and orange into the Old Fashioned.

"Sorry," she said weakly, hoping he wasn't as mad as he appeared.

"Tsh," he sneered. She looked up to see him fidget and look away, resting his chin on the palm of his hand, grumbling "Damn right you are." As he began to relax, she did too, and she gave him an honestly apologetic smile when his gaze slid back to her, lip stuck in a hint of a pout. "Fuck, don't look at me like that," he muttered and her lip quivered for effect. "Tsh," he hissed again and leaned forward, beckoning for her to come closer with his other hand, "come here."

She met him halfway over the bar for a small peck, pulling away with a smile. He glowered at her, but she knew he wasn't mad anymore.

"Just don't try to hide stupid shit like that from me again, Kitten," Kid grunted at her.

"I won't. But will you promise to behave tonight?" She pointed a finger at him in warning. "I can make good tips as long as you don't scare everyone away."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll try." He waved her off as he pulled himself from the stool and headed for his friends.

Her smile grew as she grabbed her customer's order and moved around the bar to deliver it to the table. She hoped he would be able to manage watching her work. As she was about to brush by Kid, though, he reached out without warning, snaking an arm around her waist to tug her against his chest. She held the cocktail away, trying to keep it from spilling as she glared up at her boyfriend's cocky grin.

"One more," he muttered before snatching her lips, stealing a few more hungry pecks as he nibbled on her lower lip. He pulled away when her free hand went to his chest and pushed. "Alright, now I forgive ya." She rolled her eyes at his quiet chuckle. "And just want to make sure everyone here remembers who you belong to."

"Kid," she said with narrowed eyes. There was no changing that, it seemed. With a heavy sigh, she pushed him back some more and gestured toward his friends. "Just go play with your friends and let me work. I'll be over in a few with your drinks. The usual?"

"Yeah." He grinned as he finally released her. "And don't worry, I'll give ya a good tip later."

"Cash, Kid." She said, only to have him snort. "Just because you're my boyfriend, doesn't mean you can get out of tipping me."

His grin grew at the title, as she knew it would, and he leaned in to press one last hard kiss to her cheek. He really loved hearing her say that, much to her annoyance.

"Got it. Now get to work, Kitten," he cackled and swatted at her ass as she headed to her customer's table. She sent him another dark glare, but he had his back turned, head thrown back with a bark of laughter as he sauntered over to his friends.

At least he wasn't angry with her anymore, but she knew there was no way he'd be able to behave the whole night. She'd have to do her best to keep him appeased and calm.

With another heavy sigh, she got back to work.

* * *

As the night wore on, Nami was relieved to see that the bar was filled with regulars who knew all too well not to be overly friendly with her. They were no strangers to Kid's dark glares, they knew of their relationship, and they knew that meant to keep their hands off.

They also knew to leave her some of the best tips she'd ever received. None of them wanted to accidentally insult her, and therefore Kid, by leaving her a meager amount. She was starting to think her paranoia had been completely unwarranted, and that maybe she owed Kid an even better apology than she originally gave.

He did take advantage when he could get her attention every time she brought the guys their drinks and food, flirting with her shamelessly and stealing some affection; further reminder to everyone in the bar that he was the only one allowed to touch her. For the most part, though, he left her be. He focused on playing pool and darts with his friends, joking around with them as he drank and unwound. She rewarded his good behavior with some free drinks, Shakky allowing it since she was just as pleased to see everything turning out well, and stealthy pecks to his cheek when she snuck behind him. He was happy, she was happy, everything was perfect, everything was going smoothly…

Until some random creep walked in that didn't know any better.

"Is there anything else you need, sir?" She asked while inching away from a hand that was getting dangerously close to her bare thigh peeking from her skirt.

"Maybe a little company from a pretty girl," he said. She swatted his hand away with as friendly a smile as she could muster.

"Well, unfortunately I can't help you there." Her smile was barely masking her annoyance and seething irritation.

"You sure about that? I promise there's a good tip in it." His smirk was drunken and he couldn't even look at her face. His hand reached for hers and she smacked it away without a thought. "Come on, just for a few minutes."

"No." She said flatly, all attempts at civility gone. Any other night, without a boyfriend with a steel tipped gaze on her a few yards away, she might have played coy and bashful, at least enough to steal his wallet, but she had no interest in the creep's money when he was unknowingly bringing her far more trouble than she cared to have. "If you have a problem with that, then leave."

"Nah, I don't think I will." He laughed and reached for her again. His hand grazed her skirt, clasped onto the fabric and began to tug at her.

She was just about to grab his glass and toss it in his face, or better yet, _punch_ him in the face, but before she could his hand had released her clothing with a pained cry. Her eyes went wide at the first snap of a bone as Kid's grip wrenched the man's whole arm back, a hand on his wrist, the other at his forearm. The nameless man screamed when Kid twisted mercilessly, shattering the bone without care.

Nami could only step back, jaw dropped as Kid began to drag the man to the door. Killer and the others had taken to holding back the other man's friends who carelessly though they might be able to defend the guy. All the men were trying to shake out of their holds, but they really weren't much of a match to the guys. They were just lucky Killer and the other two were capable of restraining their tempers, unlike Kid.

"That's my girl you were tryin' to grab, scum. And she said to leave, so fucking get a clue and leave before I break a few more bones," Kid warned with a snarl.

The man was obviously drunk, it was the only reason he could think punching Kid was a good idea. The strike at his jaw didn't even faze Kid, the taller man grinning sadistically down at his newest victim before yanking on the broken arm in his hold, sending the man careening into his other hand, balled into a fist.

Nami winced and hid her eyes behind her bangs at the sickening crunch of a nose breaking, not wishing to see the sight of dark blood flowing over the man's mouth as Kid dragged him the rest of the way to the door. She stepped away when the other men began to fight their holds more, trying to go to their friend's aid when Kid pulled him outside. Killer and the others began to shove them out, not sparing much effort in the process. A few were punched in the gut and practically carried out when they fought harder, but otherwise their one friend outside should be the only victim that night.

The bar came to a quick standstill once the guys were out, everyone inside sat completely still while they waited for Kid's group to reappear. There were some shouts outside, warnings to stay away if they knew better, and then the four men came barreling back in. Kid was laughing confidently as he made his way to where she stood, eyes still staring at the floor, her hands balling into fists at her side.

He didn't have to go that far. She can handle a drunk sleaze.

"You alright there, Kitten?" There was a grin in his voice, he had no idea what he had just done.

She flinched away when she felt his hand brush over an arm, head snapping up to glare darkly at him. "Don't touch me."

"What?" His grin fell in an instant. Pain warred with anger in his eyes. Anger won out. It always would. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"You should know very well what my problem is! You said you would behave!" She shouted.

"And I have been! But if ya think I'm gonna let some dick like him lay a hand on my girl, then you need to remember who the fuck I am!" He yelled in return. "I've told ya before, Nami, I won't let anyone else touch you!"

"He was just some drunk idiot! I could have handled him!"

"It didn't look like it to me! How about you just be fucking grateful I got rid of him for you!"

"Grateful? _Grateful!?_" She shrieked loudly. "You just broke a man's arm in front of me! And then smashed his face in! How am I supposed to be grateful after seeing that!?"

"You should be grateful he's the one who got hurt and not you." He seethed lowly, stepping into her face with a dangerous glint in his eye.

A throat cleared beside them, breaking into a terse standoff that had Nami holding back the urge to shiver with fear under the full weight of his anger. She glanced at Shakky, Kid doing the same after a moment. The owner nodded her head toward the door leading to the back. "Can you two take this outside?"

Nami didn't want to, she didn't want to be alone with Kid, not like this. He was too unpredictable, and her own temper was not going to help. She glanced at Killer, he gave her a reassuring nod and she spun on her heel without a word to storm toward the back. She dug her nails into the palms of her hands to hold back the tremors as she listened to Kid follow after her.

The second the door shut behind him, and they were alone in the back lot of the bar, Kid grabbed her hand and spun her around to face him. She didn't have a chance to think about what he intended before his lips crashed to hers, hungry and forceful, his other hand digging into her hair as she squirmed in his hold.

"Stop it!" She screamed when he pulled back for a breath. He tried to move back in, but she smacked at his chest as hard as she could. "Kid! Stop!"

He growled at her demand, nearly shoving her away when he released her. "What the fuck, Nami!? You can't be fucking mad at me about this!"

"I can and I will be!" She yelled back. "I don't like it when you hurt people because of me!"

"You didn't have a fucking problem when I beat the shit out of that garbage who attacked you in the bathroom! What makes this any different!?"

"Because that wasn't Absalom back there! He didn't do anything to me but try to grab! He isn't the first to do that, and he won't be the last!" She backed away at his responding growl. He didn't like to think anyone else might want to touch her. "I didn't like what you did to Absalom, either, but I'll admit I needed your protection then. But this guy was just some drunk creep, and he isn't even the first you've hurt on my account. You can't keep hurting people just because they say or do something to me you don't like!"

"Well that's too fucking bad! I ain't changing that!" Her eyes went wide as he stalked closer to her again, seething as he towered over her. "You got a problem that?" She was trembling as he leaned down, sneer painting his face as it hovered close to hers. Her voice was stuck in her throat as his hot breath cascaded over her skin with an angry huff. "Huh, _Kitten_?"

She swallowed thickly and leaned away when his nose brushed over hers. His eyes narrowed at the move. She felt one of his arms reaching to wrap around her again, and she gave him a hard shove. "I do," she hissed lowly. His eyes went wide. "What good is it going to do you to keep beating up these guys? You don't think I might actually like it when they touch me, do you?"

"'Course not." He grunted.

"Then why do you care what they do? As long as I don't want them touching me, then you should trust that I'll handle it!"

"What if you can't, though!?" His voice raised again and he stood straight. "You don't know when one of those guys won't stop at _no_. You don't know if they'll be waitin' for you when you leave. But I can guarantee they'll think twice after I rearrange their fuckin' faces!"

"You're right, I don't know what they might do, but you don't either! You can't just beat every guy up who looks at me! You scare me when you do that! I never know if one of these times I'm going to watch you kill someone! I never know if you're going to lash out at anyone else!" She could feel panic welling in her chest as she stepped away from him. He was restraining his temper now, but he was still angry. She didn't care, though, all that mattered was that he was dangerous, and she knew it before, and that night only reminded her further. "How do I know you won't hurt someone I care about!? How do I know you won't hurt an innocent person!? That guy was drunk! You don't know if he had a family waiting for him to come home! You don't know if he has people who love him who will miss him if you went too far!" She watched as his jaw clenched tight, at least he was listening to her. She took a deep breath, but it didn't stop her shaking. "If you can't see why I hate how violent you get, then this isn't going to work!"

His eyes went wide and he sucked in a breath as if she just punched him in the gut. "Take that back," he growled hoarsely.

She shook her head and took another step back. "You should go, Kid."

"Nami…" he tried and stepped toward her. She flinched away and that was when his temper took hold again, anger always easier than pain. "Fuck!" He shouted before spinning away to storm off, hand balled into a fist at his side. She winced when he yanked the door open and slammed it shut behind him, hollering again once it was closed. "Fuck!"

She stayed out there, slumping against a worn out table, gasping for air as she held back the urge to cry. She was confused again and it hurt so much. She knew what she just said to Kid hurt him, but he needed to hear it, needed to know that she would not stand for that behavior. That night had been going so well, he had been proving her worries wrong, but then that damn idiot had to come along and ruin it by grabbing for her. She felt more anger for that nameless man than she did for Kid because with one stupid move he destroyed everything.

Things had been going so well with Kid, she had been happy. He was going at her pace, their dates were pleasant and fun, and were becoming more and more difficult to end. Kid had been trying so hard, and she knew it. The only thing that had continued to nag at her was his possessiveness and the violence it manifested, but she had hope that maybe that would calm down, maybe he'd learn to control those urges, and for a majority of that night, he was doing just that.

Her heart ached to think one drunk idiot could come and throw all that progress out.

She whimpered, bowed her head when she listened to a squeal of tires out front and a car tear by. She knew he was gone, but she couldn't go in just yet.

He was hurt and angry again, and some part of her wanted to reach out, call him, tell him that she'd talk to him once they both calmed down, whatever he needed to hear. She knew she couldn't, she had to stand her ground. She was right, if he couldn't control his temper, then a relationship with him wasn't going to work out.

"Nami-chan?" Shakky called out tentatively from the door. Nami took a deep breath, and then another, and another. "He's gone." Nami nodded, she already knew. "Are you going to be okay?" Nami didn't answer immediately and Shakky came over to set a firm hand atop her bowed head. "I'll understand if you need to knock off for the rest of the night. I can handle the last few hours alone."

Nami finally shook her head. She couldn't go home, not like this. She couldn't be alone with her thoughts, they'd only torment her, drive her to anxious tears again. Why couldn't things just be easier with him? Why did everything have to be a struggle?

"No, I need to work." She said, clearing her throat and sniffling back her unfallen tears. She blinked a few times, wiped at her face, hoping her cheeks weren't too red, and then forced a tired smile. "I'll be fine."

"If you say so, Nami-chan, but just say the word if you need to go." Shakky said, her hand falling to pat her shoulder. "Take your time. Come back in when you're ready."

It took Nami another few minutes to collect herself, but when she finally went back inside, she forced herself to focus on work. Kid's friends had taken off with him, much to her relief. She didn't need that constant reminder hanging around. The others in the bar gave her sympathetic smiles and pitying frowns.

No one wanted to be the woman who dared think about breaking up with Eustass Kid.

Come three in the morning, she was utterly spent, exhausted mentally and physically. All she wanted to do was go home, curl up in bed, and hope sleep would make her forget the entire night. If it didn't, she'd spend the whole day in bed with a pint of ice cream and a trashy book. The massive roll of money in her purse hardly consoled her as she headed for the door. It helped, but not as much as it normally would.

She froze in the middle of the parking lot, breath lost, as she stared wide eyed at what greeted her.

"Yo," Kid grunted where he sat on the curb between his car and her bike. He was leaned back on an arm, the other busy lifting a beer bottle to his lips. She watched, unblinking, as he chugged it down and then tossed the empty bottle into a growing pile behind him, glass clinking and breaking as it struck what looked to be nearly a dozen others.

"Kid…" She sighed, stepping toward her bike as he grabbed another bottle from a case sitting between his legs. "I thought I told you to go?"

"Ya did. And I did. Then I came back," he slurred while pointing at her, then himself, then the ground. He was drunk.

"Where are the guys?" She sighed again. She knew the answer, but hoped that maybe it wasn't the case. She didn't want to deal with him completely alone, not like this. She just wanted to go home and sleep.

"Home." He grunted, tossed back his newest beer, and threw the empty bottle away again. She hovered warily at her bike as he tried to pick himself up, unsteady as he grabbed the hood of his car to help balance him. It was pitiful and made her heart ache. "I wanted to talk to ya."

"There's nothing to talk about, at least not now." She reasoned as he shuffled along his car. "I don't want to talk to you when you're like this."

"Too fuckin' bad," he growled, then blinked. A frown marred his face and he shook his head. "No… wait…" He swayed and leaned back against his car. She didn't move away from her bike, but she waited to see what he had to say. "I gotta apologize." She turned to face him, giving him the benefit of the doubt again. "I know ya don't like it when I do that shit…" He scowled and looked away. "I just don't like takin' th' chance some shithead's gonna take it too far. I don' wan' ya gettin' hurt 'cause I didn't stop someone."

"You can stop them, but you can't hurt them like that, Kid." She heaved another tired sigh as he glanced at her. "I know you don't want to change, but this is something I can't budge on." She shook her head, bowing it to hide the pain in her eyes. He didn't know what happened to her. He didn't know about Bellemere. He didn't know what Arlong did to her. He didn't know why she couldn't stand to see anyone hurt because of her. "I like you, Kid, I like you a lot, but… I _don't_ like this."

He growled and weakly slammed his fist into the car door behind him. "I don't wanna lose you over this…"

"I know," she breathed out softly. "And you were doing really well tonight, too. I was wrong to worry before… but then that guy…"

He groaned and pushed off his car. "I fuckin' hated watchin' all those guys smilin' at ya and shit, but I knew you were just doin' yer job, and they knew that was it, too." He came closer when she didn't back away. "I knew I couldn't do shit, 'specially since they didn't do anythin' to ya." He frowned down at her, and she saw his hand twitch at his side before he shoved it into his pocket, taking away the temptation to reach for her. "I don' want to call this quits 'cause 'a one asshole who didn't know any better. I'll control m'self when you're around."

"You should control yourself all the time." She crossed her arms over her stomach and looked away. He was making this difficult again. Her heart was taking over, screaming at her to believe in him. He had been doing so well! Everything had been good! He made a mistake, just one, and he was apologizing, he was still trying. She couldn't fault him for that.

"I can't promise that, Nami," he said honestly. She bowed her head with a quiet whimper when his restraint failed him and he reached out to run a knuckle over her elbow. She could feel her resolve weakening more. Her heart just wanted to forgive him, even if her mind knew better. "But I'll try… Just… Just don't say this can't work."

"You said you'd give me up if I ever changed my mind," she reminded quietly as he moved a little closer.

She glanced up at his lazy chuckle, frowning at the tired smirk on his face. "Guess I lied… but I don't think you've really changed yer mind." His hand went to her waist, rubbing over it and giving a small squeeze. "Ya haven't, have you?"

"… No… I don't know…" She sighed, letting her head fall against his chest. Why did she always have to be so confused?

"Give me another chance."

"I've already given you another chance."

"So? Give me another. Ya said so yerself, it's been good between us. Don't fuckin' throw all that away just 'cause I screwed up once." She felt all her resolve lost when his arm wrapped around her waist and he dipped down to bury his face into her hair. He was so warm and strong and she felt safe. He had just wanted to protect her, he didn't want to lose her.

"Please try, Kid," she said quietly as her arms wound around his chest. "I can't keep forgiving you like this."

"I know," he grunted into her hair, his other arm finding its way to her waist, crushing her to him as he took a deep breath and sank against her. They stood like that for a while, Nami couldn't be sure how long, all she knew was that she was comfortable and didn't want to let go, and Kid seemed to feel the same.

"Fuckin' hate this emotional shit," he grunted into her hair after a while, his hold still strong.

"I don't like it, either," she pouted against his chest. "And I can't believe you went and bought a case of beer while waiting for me to leave."

"Tsh, was still mad, needed to calm down and a few drinks help with that." He grumbled in self-defense.

"You had a lot more than a few." She gave a sad laugh as she turned her head enough to peek at the pile of bottles in the dirt in front of his car. "There's no way you can drive home like this."

"Then you can take me back to yer place." He chuckled as his hold tightened more. "I wanna keep makin' up with ya."

"No, Kid," she bit out, shoving him back.

He released her, swayed with a deep frown. She reached out to help steady him, releasing another resigned sigh. "But I do have to drive you home."

"You can give me a ride on your bike. I've been wanting to see how it rides." He grinned at her. It was silly and sloppy and he was definitely _very _drunk.

She laughed again as she shook her head and began to push him toward the backseat of his car, the large man stumbling back easily. "You'd probably just topple off the second you got on." She was glad to see the doors of his car were unlocked, and opened the door to shove him in. "Now get in."

"Oooo, you wanna fool around in the back, Kitten?" He chuckled, trying to tug her with him.

She swatted his hands away. "Keep it up, Kid, and I'll take your keys, leave, and you can sleep it off in your car."

"Tsh, I'm just teasin' ya." He glowered, but relented as he climbed in and fell back over the bench with a groan. "Fuck. Everythin's spinnin'."

She shook her head again as she turned to collect the rest of the case he had. Out of the twenty-four bottles, it looked like he drank fifteen of them. As she picked it up, she spotted a small bottle of liquor, his favorite whiskey, jammed into the dirt by the curb where he'd been sitting. It was completely empty.

"Yeah, alcohol will do that to you, Kid," she muttered while loading the beer on the floor in front of him. His legs were hanging out of the car now and she saw he had an arm draped over his eyes. "I'm surprised you're still conscious."

He snorted, a lazy smirk gracing his face, but didn't move.

"Where are your keys?" She asked, a touch of exhausted annoyance in her tone.

"Pocket," he drawled out.

Nami groaned when he didn't move, and climbed into the car after him. Hesitant at first, she patted around his pockets, knowing he usually kept them in his right one. When he didn't move, she reached in to dig them out, hurrying when he groaned and his hips raised.

"Fuck… I wanna kiss…" he sulked. "Nami."

She rolled her eyes and yanked his keys out. "No. I'm still a little mad at you."

He groaned again, reaching for her with his eyes still covered with one arm, but she darted away before he could grab her. He growled and his arm fell over his chest. "Damn it."

She didn't respond, focusing on getting him to tuck his legs in so she could get the door shut. Once he was in, she let out a huff and turned to her bike. She had a feeling she might not make it back, at least not as soon as she would like, so she pushed it over to Shakky's garage to store it away. When she got back to the car, climbing into the driver's seat, she heard Kid snoring loudly and rolled her eyes again.

He was exhausting, but at least her heart wasn't aching anymore.

* * *

Nami stared at the still sleeping Kid sprawled in his backseat. She had just pulled into the garage of his home and was left with the issue of how to get the man who towered over her by a foot, and easily weighed twice as much as her, into his home.

"Kid," she said while swatting at his leg. The limb merely fell from where it had precariously been propped up with the doors shut, the man grunting and snorting in his sleep as he shifted to get comfortable. Her head hung with a drawn out sigh. Maybe she should just leave him there.

"Nami?" Killer's voice came from the door into the house, the blond scratching tiredly at his long mane of hair. "You guys make up?"

"Yeah," she huffed, sending him a tired smile before gesturing to the passed out man. "Think you can help me get the big guy inside?"

"Sure." He snorted and came out into the garage, barefoot and only dressed in his flannel pajama pants. She stepped back to watch him grasp Kid's arm, sling it over a shoulder, and heft him onto his back. Kid grumbled, partially woke to look around groggily, and then slumped against his best friend. It all looked to be routine to her. "You staying the night?"

"I guess I am," Nami shrugged, following after the two men. "I'll take the couch."

"No," Kid grumbled, waking up enough to send her a weak glare. "You sleep with me." She glowered at him, not happy with the command, especially since she didn't trust him to control himself in that state. "Just sleep. If ya don't, I'll just climb on top of ya on the couch and fall asleep like that."

She rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. She didn't expect any less from him. "Fine."

He grinned and nestled into Killer's long hair, satisfied he got his way. She watched as Killer slowly carried Kid downstairs, the younger man barely managing to help with a few lazy steps to keep his friend from falling. Once in Kid's bedroom, the blond tossed him onto the mattress and smacked at Kid's left arm.

"Shirt off." Killer ordered. The red head groaned, sat up, and fumbled to get it over his head, all with Nami standing there watching the whole scene. It was like a mother taking care of their petulant child. It would have been adorable if she wasn't still irritated with Kid.

Once the shirt was off, Kid tossed it toward her, pointing as he grumbled, "You sleep in that."

It was another black band t-shirt. One of his favorites, she knew. She inspected it, making sure there wasn't any blood from his fight earlier. She let out a huff when she saw it was clean and relented.

She turned to go to his small bathroom while Killer helped Kid remove his cybernetic arm, but Kid called out to her. "Oi, where ya goin'?"

"To the bathroom to change." She bit out, shooting him a glare over her shoulder as he frowned suspiciously at her.

"Fuck that, you can change in here." He was really pushing it now. She knew he was drunk, but they just had a fight, he could at least not be such an ass and order her around. "Killer, get out." He waved at his friend who had just finished placing his fake arm in its case. The blond sent him a short look, a surly frown at his friend's ungrateful bossiness. He was used to it, though, and with a huff, turned to head back to bed. He gave Nami a pat on the head as he walked by, consolation for what she was sure to have to endure with Kid that night.

"I'm still not changing in here, Kid." She said stubbornly once the door to the basement was shut, returning Kid's glare as he hunched over his legs.

He paused as he tried to kick off his boots to frown at her. "Why not?"

"Because it'll give you ideas."

He snorted a tired chuckle and went back to prying at a boot with his toes. "Like I ain't got ideas all the time, Kitten." He got a boot off and took a break from the effort to give her a cocky smirk. "'Specially since I've already seen every inch of ya. Touched it, too." He licked his lips. "Tasted it." She backed away and he laughed louder, turning to push at his other boot. "See? I'm givin' myself ideas already and yer still dressed." He paused to glance at her again, eyes sweeping over her body. "Hell, I can still fuck ya with yer clothes on. Short little skirt like that… all I gotta do is push yer panties aside…"

"Alright! I get it! You're a disgusting pervert who's only interested in getting between my legs." She blew up at him with a huff and turned her back on him. She didn't want to change in front of him then, but he had made his point, it didn't matter to him.

"Tsh, thought I made it clear that ain't the only reason I'm interested in you?" He grumbled. She heard the sound of his other boot hitting the floor as she slipped her tank top off over her head. As she pulled his shirt on, and kicked her heels off, she listened as he began to unbuckle the belt looped around his jeans. "I like ya 'cause your nice, and fun, and smart, and got kind of a twisted side. You being fucking hot as hell just helps."

"Did you just say I'm nice? And use it as a reason for why you like me?" She couldn't help but giggle as she shimmied out of her skirt and tugged his shirt down more to keep her covered. She turned around to see him sitting on his bed, still in his jeans, staring at her with a tired frown. "You?" She teased while sauntering over. She had to admit, she loved the way his eyes dragged down to her hips. "The rude asshole likes someone because she's nice?"

"Shut up," he grunted and laid back in his bed while pointing down at his legs. "Help me with my jeans."

"You are incredibly bossy tonight, Kid." She rolled her eyes. He glowered, shifting his hips as she reached to tug at the waist of his pants. "I'm supposed to be mad at you and giving you the cold shoulder, not helping your drunk ass get into bed."

"You can give me the cold shoulder later. I just wanna get in bed and go to sleep."

She laughed and pulled his jeans off, tossing them to the floor while he pushed himself up in the bed with his remaining arm. "I figured you just wanted to get me into bed so you could try to make up with me."

"I'd love to, Kitten," he smirked while reaching to grab her hand and tug her down. "But you don't wanna, and I ain't gonna push it tonight."

She shrieked when he twisted her into his chest, hugging her with his arm, and turned to push her into the spot she had slept in before, right against the wall. The move was fluid and fast, not what she'd expect from such a drunk man. When she blinked her eyes open again, she found Kid hovering over her with a dangerous grin.

"After ya let me fuck you again, though, and we get into another fight, I _will _push you against a wall and fuck ya hard until you forgive me, Kitten." She felt herself clench at the seedy promise in his suddenly clear gaze. His eyes glanced to her lips, then back up with a groan as he leaned down to steal a quick peck. "Thanks."

"For what?" She cocked her head to the side, thoroughly confused that he was thanking her for anything that night.

"For giving me another chance." He smirked, leaned in for another kiss. He moaned as she willingly parted her lips to his, allowing him to lazily sweep his tongue past. "Pro'ly don't deserve it." He admitted quietly into the kiss and sank against her when her arms wrapped around his neck, fingers loosely running through his hair as he kissed her slowly, too tired for more.

"You forgave me earlier." She reminded between kisses. She moaned as his arm tugged her onto her side as he rolled off of her, keeping her pressed to him as he continued to steal affection.

"That was different." He said while his hand ran down her back and grasped her thigh, tugging it over his waist as he pressed his mouth to hers hungrily. She gasped when his hips rolled into hers and he swallowed the sound with a throaty moan of his own. She pouted when he pulled away after minute and sank back into his pillow. "I wasn't that mad, and I know ya had yer reasons t' keep it from me. I didn't like 'em, but…" He shrugged, "they weren't unwarranted."

She sighed and relaxed in his hold, nestling closer as his hand pushed under her shirt to trail his fingers over the bare skin of her back. It was too comforting for her to make him stop, and he was obviously too drunk and exhausted to do anything else that night.

"I guess," she said through a yawn while tucking her head beneath his chin. She forgot how much she enjoyed sleeping in his arm that one night. She smiled tiredly when she felt his lips press into her hair, and returned the gesture with a peck to the valley at the base of his throat, gaining a muffled groan from him. "But, things have been good. I'm afraid I would have regretted it if I didn't see this through."

He hummed into her hair and she knew he was half asleep again. His caress on her back slowed and stuttered, jolting back to life after a split second. She was almost asleep, too, before she heard him mutter one last thing into her hair.

"Remind me I owe ya a tip."

She giggled and used her leg to tug his between hers, winding herself around him. "Cash, right?"

"'Course. I know what my girl loves most."

She smiled wide and buried her blushing face against his chest. "Yes, you do… You're a good boyfriend."

She felt him grin as he hummed and his one arm crushed her tight to him as he sought sleep with her in his hold.

She was fairly certain he'd never been happier to hear her call him that.

* * *

_Also, I want to make sure you all realize Nami made a mistake in this chapter, not just Kid. Her's was easily blown over, yes, but she is not perfect, she is not trusting Kid and she's actively hiding tiny things from him in the hopes it'll avoid issues from arising. Kid's mistakes are just on a bigger scale, and as he said, they are things he did before, so of course he's not going to understand why she'd have an issue with it- especially since she's still keeping things from him about her history._

_But anyway, next chapter will be an MA chapter, just so ya know. ;p_


	17. Chapter 17

_Friendly reminder that this chapter is very much MA and explicit because Kid would not allow for any less. If it gets flamed or anything, I will edit it and post the full version to my tumblr._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_To Possess_

She had woken the next morning to Kid pressed against her back, his hand teasing over her breast beneath her shirt, and his lips sucking a spot behind her ear that made warmth pool low in her stomach. As she stretched, his hand moved to her hip and tugged her back into his hard length, Kid moaning as he ground against her. He captured her lips when she rolled toward him, and she eagerly returned his kiss as his hand went back to wandering freely over her body.

She realized she might have overreacted the night before, and that she might owe Kid a bit of an apology. She had been so worried about how he might act that whole night, so afraid that he could snap for no reason, that she ended up walking on eggshells in the hopes he wouldn't have reason to hurt someone. He _had_ been good the whole night, and the one person he hurt, she had been prepared to punch herself, the only thing stopping her was Kid beating her to it. And in hindsight, he still held back. Sure, he broke the guy's arm, but he didn't seem interested in doing more than that until the guy threw a punch, and even then, he only returned it before tossing him out with a few warnings.

She'd seen him do far worse, as he said. Hell, the first time she saw him again after two years, he used her as an excuse to get into a brawl with a rival. Her own friends regularly beat people up for her, or others they cared about, though she didn't fear for the lives of the ones left at their mercy, nor did her friends do it out of a possessive interest in her, but they weren't well behaved, innocent people, either.

Kid had promised that he would never hurt her, and she believed him. He swore he'd never hurt someone she cared about, and while she had her doubts, she wanted to believe him. When he became possessively violent, though, she couldn't help but remember a man with just as much twisted pride who refused to lose her talents and was more than prepared to kill everyone she cared about in order to keep her. She constantly had to remind herself that Kid was not Arlong, that his interest in her was different, that he actually cared about her well-being beyond the use she had for him. He just wanted to protect her, just like her friends did, and just like she would do for all of them.

She surprised him that morning when she coaxed him onto his back after realizing she had made a mistake of her own expecting Kid to be any different than he was. She had hurt him with her doubts and fears, and she was willing to take a tentative step over a line she drew to let him know she was far from mad still.

She loved hearing him hiss and groan when her hand snaked down between them, grabbing his cock beneath his boxers and pumping to relieve the ache. His hand dug into her hair as she kissed him and his hips bucked up, almost begging her for more, but she hovered her body just out of his reach. When he realized that might be as much as he could hope to get from her that morning, he let his own hand sneak down until it was pushing her underwear aside so he could bury two fingers inside her wet canal.

She almost lost control then, but she stubbornly resisted. She knew at that moment, though, that it would happen soon, she'd give him what he'd been waiting patiently for, but at least it would happen on her terms. He'd let her make the first move this time.

They hadn't even said a word to each other that morning, only shared pants and moans between distracted kisses. Nami buried her face against his neck when she cried out, his fingers easily bringing her to completion. He didn't stop pumping them inside her as she worked over his length, and she struggled to focus on matching his pace, squeezing him tight when she heard him hiss, and tighter still when his hips rocked up with a throaty moan, thrusting into her grip until he stilled and shuddered. He came panting beneath her, his seed spilling onto his stomach.

When she sat up and smiled down at him, he returned it with a tired grin while his tongue darted out to lick her juices from his hand. He told her- voice still rough from sleep- that was the best orgasm he'd had since their first time, far better than anything he could give himself, but that it was a dangerous thing to do… He was more than ready to fling her down and fuck her senseless, she was only lucky he held back as well as he did.

When he looked about ready to do just that, she flew from his bed, laughing at his irritated growls as she locked herself away in the bathroom.

They were happy again, and she was glad for it.

Now she sat in her apartment, staring at the wall as she remembered the heat in his eyes, that barely restrained lust, raw and passionate and full of power. It made her squirm in her chair and her mind continued to tease her with memories of his touch. She didn't know how she could have held out as long as she had, but she couldn't hold back any longer.

He looked like he knew it, too. The way he watched her the rest of that morning, the way he practically surrounded her, trapping her in his arms as she stood in his kitchen helping herself to some coffee. He filled her senses and teased her with the hard planes of his body pressing against her. It was a miracle she made it home at all, and now she sat there staring anywhere but her phone trying to hold on just a little bit longer.

He was right, that had been a dangerous thing to do, but she wanted to do it again.

She made it until six o'clock that night before she broke down and called him, inviting him over to watch a movie…

He seemed to know that wasn't all she wanted him there for.

He showed up an hour later, grinning wolfishly on her doorstep with a movie in hand.

"My pick tonight, Kitten," he stated as he stepped inside and leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek.

"You always pick violent ones." She pouted while reaching to snatch the box from his hand. He merely held it up above his head, and watched as she futilely tried to grab what he brought.

"I promise this one ain't that bad," he chuckled, wrapping his other arm around her waist. "It's kinda artsy, and mostly black and white. You'll like it." He laughed even more when she puffed out her cheeks and leaned down to kiss at her pout. "If ya don't like it," amusement in his tone as he kissed over to her ear, "we can do something else."

"Fine, we'll watch it," she huffed. "But I pick the next ten movies we watch on dates."

"Whatever makes ya happy," he said while giving her a playful shove toward the couch.

Once they had settled in and got the movie started, Nami had to admit that it wasn't the worst movie he had in his collection. There was certainly a lot of violence, but it was stylistic and not overtly graphic. It wasn't just mindless gore and killing, there was even a plot to follow.

She still cringed at some scenes, but dismemberment and slit throats tended to do that to her. Kid would chuckle as she turned her face into his chest, his arm tightening around her as he sank down on her couch. He'd tug at her hair when the worst of it was over, and as she relaxed again, his hand teased over her shoulder as if it had a mind of its own, dipping beneath the strap of her top and making her shiver with surprisingly light touches.

As the movie played on, she either grew used to the blood splattering in various scenes, or she was just too distracted to care. Kid's hand had made it to her waist, tugging her until she was practically in his lap while his fingers found skin beneath her top and ran over her stomach and side until she was sinking against him with a content hum.

When a scene made her jump in surprise- something she blamed Kid for since she hadn't been paying attention with his hands wandering- he leaned in and nipped at her ear, chuckling at her reaction. Her head fell back to glower at him, but he just kissed her jaw. He groaned when her glare deepened and pressed another kiss to her cheek, and then another, and another as his arms wound tight around her.

"You probably shouldn't have invited me over tonight," he muttered to her.

"Why not?" She asked innocently, turning her face to him.

Their noses brushed together and he groaned again.

"'Cause after earlier, I don't know how you expect me to hold back, Kitten." He admitted, lips fluttering over hers before he snatched them in a drawn out kiss. "I'm startin' t' think ya get off on tormenting me with the wait."

Nami smiled slyly and turned in his hold, his brow raising as she slid a leg over him and settled on his lap facing him. His hands went to her hips when she leaned in to give him a peck, her smile growing as he chased after her lips when she pulled away.

"You really don't think you can hold out anymore?" She asked, fingers digging into his hair. "Not even a little bit?"

His lip curled in a snarl while his head fell back into her hands, a growl lacing his voice when he spoke again. "What are ya up to, you little minx?" She giggled and his hands tightened on her hips, pulling her down to feel his growing erection. "I know ya got somethin' in that twisted little head 'a yours."

"Why do you think that?" She teased as she leaned it to trail kisses along his cheek to his ear.

"'Cause ya got that look in yer eye like yer gonna steal my wallet." His hips rolled up into hers with a deep groan when her teeth nipped at his ear. She was surprised he hadn't taken control yet, but he seemed too curious about what she might be thinking to stop her.

She was going to enjoy having control for a change.

She laughed at his observation, muffling it as she left open mouth kisses on his neck, sucking on his flesh as he hissed and ground up into her. His fingers were digging into her back, tangling with her hair, and she felt elated when he moaned. It seemed his neck was his weak spot, too.

"I promise I won't steal your wallet," she whispered in his ear, smiling as he sucked in a breath through his teeth. "But you have to sit here and let me do what I want." A hand drifted beneath his t-shirt, fingers raking over his abs, and he growled low in his throat but restrained himself still. "Think you can do that, Kid?"

"Fuck…" He groaned while she began to push his shirt up. "No…" She paused and he growled again. "Don't fuckin' tease me, Kitten…" He said harshly, tilting his head to nip at her neck. "Just do what ya want, but I ain't promisin' shit."

"Mmm, close enough," she giggled before sucking harder at his pulse point as her hands busily tugged at his shirt. She pulled away with a smile to yank his shirt over his head, and didn't fight him as he grabbed her for a hard kiss. Their tongues clashed between pants and groans, Kid's hands couldn't seem to stay put as they quickly found her chest and began to squeeze and pinch her breasts. He growled when she pulled them away and moved back to running kisses down his neck. She wasn't too happy about losing his touch, but she was supposed to have the lead this time, not him.

He sank back into the couch as her lips descended his chest. He bit back a curse when her nails raked over his skin and her tongue laved down his abs. He had a good idea where she was going judging by the grip he had on her hair, fingers tangling in the long orange strands as he pushed them back.

She glanced up to see those eyes, fire and lust and endless amounts of need, all barely restrained because he wanted whatever she had planned for him. Her fingers deftly undid his belt, and then the button and zipper of his jeans, and his lip curled again when she pressed her palm to his length over his clothes. She was teasing him willfully, seeing just how razor thin that restraint was. He held back, though.

He lifted his hips to help her tug his pants down, just enough to free his length. His legs spread as she settled between them, propping her arms on each thigh as she took him into her hands.

She smiled when he threw his head back at the first lick she ran up his shaft. He released a frustrated moan, a low curse when she did it again. He was going to get pissed and take over if she kept that up, she knew, but she couldn't help it. His reactions spurred her to torment him.

He bucked when her mouth engulfed him and his hands pushed her head down. She resisted. She'd go at her pace. She gave a few teasing sucks to his head, tongue pressing hard into a sensitive spot just above the shaft. He let out a low groan, cursing her name each time. His hips rolled up and his fingers dug into her scalp, still unsatisfied with so little, but enjoying it too much to stop.

"Fuck," he cursed again when her hand holding him steady at the base squeezed him tight. She hollowed her cheeks out and took a deep breath through her nose, and slid him in as far as he could go. He hissed and panted as her hand and mouth worked him, and when she hummed around his shaft, he moaned loudly above her.

She looked up to see his face twisted in pleasure and restraint, he wanted her bad, but didn't want her to stop. His hips were rolling uncontrollable, and she dug the nails of her other hand over his rippling and twitching abs. He jutted into her and she felt him twitch in her mouth. With a smile in her eyes, she dragged her nails over him again until he was covered with tiny red welts.

"Fuck, Nami," he bit out while giving a sharp tug on her hair. She didn't relent. She knew very well what he was telling her.

His pants became shallow gasps of air. Her hand gave a twist, tongue swirled and pressed to the base of the sensitive head. His hips bucked, and with a long, relieved groan he threw back his head and came.

Kid rasped out a few more curses as he untangled a hand from her hair, using it to rub at his scalp and face as he caught his breath. His other hand loosened, but fingers still lazily pulled at the strands while she cleaned up a trail that had escaped her mouth before she swallowed his seed.

"What the fuck did I do to deserve that?" He chuckled, watching her as she climbed back up into his lap to straddle him again.

"What do you mean?" She laughed as he wrapped his arm back around her and yanked her down for a savoring kiss.

"Mmm, nothing," he hummed in thought as his lips dragged over her cheek and sucked at her neck. "Just feelin' really lucky right now."

"Is that so?" Her hands wandered over his broad chest, tracing over taut muscle and rough skin.

"Mhm," he groaned low against her neck. "Ya got me off this morning, and then ya suck my dick tonight… I'm feelin' spoiled here, Kitten. 'Specially after last night…" He grumbled the last bit while his arms tightened around her.

"Well, you were right, it wasn't really fair of me to get that mad." She sighed, sitting up straight when he paused in the kisses he was trailing over her neck. "I _had_ been thinking of punching the guy before you grabbed him. I was actually about to. And you held back..."

"Ya should've punched him, and a lot sooner." He scowled at her before it abruptly turned into a grin. "Probably wouldn't have changed what I did, though, but it would have been fuckin' hot as hell t' see you deck a guy. I know you're feistier than ya were last night, don't be afraid to let that out just 'cause you're worried about how I'd react." His hands went to her thighs. "In fact…" They smoothed up her legs until he was grasping her hips beneath her skirt and grinding her core down on his once more hardening length. "I would'a been pretty fuckin' turned on, might have forgotten all about the guy and taken ya into the bathroom to fuck ya instead."

"Everything I do seems to turn you on," she smiled devilishly, rolling her hips over him and making him groan.

"Tsh, that's 'cause I like ya." He muttered against her lips as he leaned up to give her a peck.

"I think it's just because you have a dirty mind." She giggled and snatched his lips for another short kiss.

"Well, I ain't gonna lie about that… I definitely have a lot of dirty thoughts, all of 'em including you." He chuckled and turned back to kissing her neck. She moaned when the fingers of one hand rubbed over her core, pushing her underwear aside to brush over wet lips. "You know how many times I thought about ya climbing on top of me and ridin' me?" He asked rhetorically as his fingers pushed into her slowly and she wrapped her arms around his neck, gasping as he stretched her with sinfully long strokes. He nipped at her shoulder and loosed a groan when her hips rose and fell on his hand, meeting the thrusts of his fingers. "Fuck…"

She was already beginning to clench around his fingers, her mind becoming heady with pleasure as she leaned in to brush her lips over his ear. His other hand clung to her back when she panted his name and his teeth dug into her shoulder as he continued to restrain himself. "Kid?" She moaned and his fingers gave a hard thrust, making her cry out, almost forgetting what she was going to say. "Do you want me to ride you tonight?"

"Fuck yes," he coughed out, voice thick with a desperate growl.

He didn't want to let go of her when she pulled away, not until he saw her tugging at her shirt. He let her stand then and watched with heated eyes as she stripped in front of him. His hands reached out to run over her waist and up her ribs as he leaned forward to snatch one of her nipples in his mouth the moment it was free of her shirt and bra. He switched to the other when she was sliding out of her skirt and panties, all while he kicked himself free of his pants and boxers.

His lips found hers when he dragged her back into her lap, moaning into the kiss when she grasped his length to line it up with her core. "You sure?" He muttered, even as his hips began to rise while she teased his head over her slit, pushing the tip in with a loud groan. "I don't want ya runnin' away from me again."

"We're in my apartment, Kid, there's nowhere for me to run," she laughed, the sound turning into a satisfied moan as she sank down onto him. "I want this," she added breathlessly.

Weeks of waiting, of holding back, of coming so close, they all came out as he kissed her with enough force to bruise her lips, his tongue sweeping out to fill her mouth as he practically devoured her. His hands were at her hips, steadying her as she began to move them up and down his length. She went slow at first, but as his fingertips dug into her backside and pulled her forward every time she came down on him, grinding her clitoris against him, she began to speed up her movements until she was panting and gasping for air.

"You're fuckin' amazing, Kitten," he growled as he relinquished her lips, letting her arch back, hands resting on his knees behind her, and grind down hard on his length. His eyes were glued to her body, watching it rise and fall, and then her hips rolled with him deep inside of her. "Don't deserve a beauty like you," he panted before his mouth latched onto a breast, one of his hands moving up to hold it as he sucked and laved his tongue over the hard nub. She cried out, her tempo lost as a shock raced through her when he dragged his teeth over her nipple, and he chuckled darkly before switching to give her other breast the exact same treatment.

Even as she felt lost to the euphoria fogging her mind, she felt her heart ache at his words and she surprised him when she flung herself forward again, pushing him back to seal her lips to his in a hungry kiss filled with every ounce of her passion and desire for him. He grunted, but quickly returned it, his arms wrapping around her chest as he bucked his hips up and drove into her from beneath.

Her orgasm came up on her fast then; she hadn't even expected it when she shuddered and clung to him, voice coming out in a high pitched cry against his shoulder. He didn't stop pounding into her, not even close to his own finish, and he growled when she couldn't keep up anymore. Her body felt soft and pliant, spent from the intensity of her orgasm. She didn't want to stop, though, and she was happy when he flung her down onto the couch. He spun her onto her knees, her chest pressed against the couch cushions, and swiftly reentered her from behind with another growl.

All she could do was feel as his hands gripped her hips as his own slammed into her, flesh slapping with every hard and fast thrust. She could hear him panting and moaning and every now and then she thought she heard her name fall from his lips. He fell over her back gasping for air, but he didn't slow as his teeth went back to biting at her shoulder, sucking on her skin until it was a bright red with small welts from his bites. His left hand was beside her head, bracing him, while the right found her chest and busied itself with plucking at a nipple until she was crying out again, clenching tight around his length.

He finally came with a throaty curse, hips jutting into her until they stilled with him buried inside her as deep as he could go. She was partially hanging off the couch by then, head dangling precariously over the edge right next to the armrest while her arms somehow got trapped beneath her.

The credits to the movie were finishing then.

"Fuck," Kid gasped as he fell to the side, sounding as exhausted as she felt. He managed to help her get situated back onto the couch, panting for air behind her as he held her. She could feel his large chest expanding and the pounding of his heart against her back. His skin felt as if it were on fire, but so did hers, and she could feel the sweat dampening his loosened hair when he leaned over to press a tired kiss to her neck. "That was even better than the first time." He grinned lazily while trailing another kiss to her ear. His breath fanned over her, steadily slowing as they laid there. "Guess I should've waited longer before."

"Helps when we're both sober," she said with a huff of laughter. "But I'm glad it happened this way."

"Mmm, if you say so," he muttered while licking and nibbling at her earlobe.

She felt her eyes drift shut as he cradled her head in the crook of his left arm. His right hand traced up and down her side, tickling over sensitive skin as if seeking to memorize it.

"You want to stay the night?" She mumbled tiredly.

"'Course," he chuckled, "no way you can kick me out now."

"Mm, good," she smiled and nestled into his arm. She pouted when his fingers slid between her legs and teased her core- still sticky from their coupling. "I need to take a shower now."

He laughed as a finger slipped inside her. "Great idea. I'll join you."

"You are definitely insatiable." She frowned while wriggling under his touch.

"Tsh, I just fucking waited months to have you again. Ya damn well better believe I'm gonna get my fill tonight, ya might make me wait again." He growled playfully and pulled his hand from her. He grinned when she whimpered. "Sounds like you feel the same way, Kitten." She turned to pout at him as he sat up and began to climb over her, off the couch. "Now come on." She shrieked when she suddenly found herself yanked up and tossed easily over a shoulder, his hand going to smack her bottom as she fidgeted in his hold. "I like the idea of fuckin' ya in the shower before bed."

"I'm never going to get to sleep tonight, am I?"

"Nope, not if I have any say in it."

She couldn't say she was upset about that.

* * *

It was well past midnight when Kid finally let Nami rest, but even as his own body was exhausted, his mind wasn't and kept him awake long after Nami's breathing evened out beside him. He lay there, staring at her bare back, the blankets bunched at her waist, assessing all the bite marks and bruises he could see in the faint glow of the moon seeping through her curtains. His hand traced over each of them, palm rubbing almost tenderly over her shoulders and down her spine.

Her skin was so soft. He loved touching it, he loved tasting it.

He practically worshiped every inch of her body that night, took her so thoroughly her citrus scent was almost completely lost to the smell of sweat and sex and him. He couldn't help but get carried away that night. He had seen just how easily he could lose her, and he wasn't going to waste a single minute of his time with her, especially not when she so freely gave it.

She said it. She said she wanted him, she wanted this, she wanted all of it and that only made him want to ravish her more. After all the pushing and shoving and waiting and patience, watching her war with her own emotions and desires, to see her climb on top of him and confidently _take_ what she wanted from him… He truly has no idea how he got so lucky.

She stirred under his touches and rolled her back against his chest with a moan that would have made him hard again if he wasn't so spent. "Kid, go to sleep," she whined to him while her hand tangled with his and drew it over her waist, wrapping herself up in him.

He chuckled at her and pressed his face to her shoulder, taking a deep breath of that corrupted citrus before pressing a kiss to her shoulder. His hand drifted up her stomach, shaking off her own, and cupped a breast with a content sigh. "Alright, Kitten."

Her response was a tired hum and he was sure she was already asleep again. He let out another low huff of amusement, squeezed her breast, and prepared to nod off with his lips still pressed to her skin, intent on having her taste follow him in his dreams.

She was his now, and he'd do whatever it took to keep her. He knew that sentiment probably frightened her, but he didn't care, she was his and he wouldn't allow that to change.

No one would keep him from possessing her. Not even her.

* * *

_**A/N: **And a quick note- yes, I am well aware that Nami's personality has changed from the first chapter; that is purposeful and I hope I got across why in this chapter. It isn't just Kid's possessiveness that makes this relationship unhealthy (though it is a large reason behind it), the most detrimental aspect is what it is doing to Nami's thought process. Everything she does is determined by how she thinks Kid might react- his personality comes first, hers comes second. As I said in the last chapter, and again in this one, she was entirely prepared to punch that guy (as she normally would) but her first concern had been "Kid's across the room and probably about to murder someone," not "Fuck, this creep is getting on my nerves, I'm gonna deck him." Kid has made himself the center focus of her thinking, which is obviously not good for her because it changes her, even if he would actually prefer her to not change that much- she does to avoid unnecessary conflicts... which then just creates bigger conflicts later on._

_It is a very insidious thing to happen to a person in a toxic relationship. You don't even realize it's happening, and when you do, you sometimes just deny it and want to pretend everything is fine. Nami has an extremely strong personality... but Kid's is stronger and overtakes hers by playing to certain emotions and fears she has. And she does have good reason to be afraid- he is dangerously, violently possessive, despite what he says._

_So yes, friendly reminder that I am in no way portraying a healthy relationship in this fic. It is far from ideal. It has it's good moments, it's cute fluffy moments, and will in the long run help them both grow in their own way... but it is not a healthy relationship, at all... The fact I have to explain that it isn't should show that, lol._


	18. Chapter 18

_Oh hey look, it's finally another update. Sorry about the wait. If it makes you feel better, Kid decided to be an ass at the beginning and make up for all the attention I've been giving my LawNa fics. Really, this and the next chapter he's rather insistent I make it up to him. And since we're heading into the major part of the plot, I figure I might as well appease him a bit._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_To Protect What's His_

A groan slipped from him as he stretched lazily in bed. The sheet fell down his bare stomach, pooled below his waist when he arched his back and ran fingers through messy red hair. It was too fucking early, but the room was bright and he couldn't seem to ignore it in favor of sleep. Her room was always bright, even at night. He didn't mind so much at night, not when he wore himself out playing with his little kitten to the point of exhaustion. Come morning, his groggy mind cursed her sheer curtains and the sun filtering in.

Releasing a heavy sigh, he rolled to his left, his arm reaching out for his gorgeous bedmate. He found nothing and his head shot up, searching the room frantically until he took a deep breath and let his head fall back into the pillow with a sigh. He was in her apartment, there was nowhere for her to run.

It had been a few weeks since he managed to find his way back into her bed and he couldn't be any happier, at least until he would wake up to find her gone. She was never _really _gone, he knew that, but even as he told himself she would be right back, that she just got up to use the bathroom or get ready for class, whatever the reason, he still felt a rush of panic as he wondered if she would leave again. He preferred spending the night at her place over his, he could temper his concerns easier in her home… even if the room was too fucking bright to sleep in during the day. At his home, there was always that chance she would sneak out and run, no matter what she said about wanting to be with him.

It was such a pain to have a skittish, temperamental girlfriend… but at least he had her.

His ears perked up at the sound of movement in the kitchen, glasses and dishes clattering together, and he pushed himself up with another heavy groan. He just wanted to stay in bed and sleep, preferably with that woman beside him.

Still groggy, he shuffled out to the kitchen where he found Nami putting away some dishes while a kettle boiled on the stove. A mug sat waiting next to the stove for her morning tea. With her back to him, he slipped up behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist, fingers teasing beneath the tank top she wore to feel her skin. He buried his face into her hair with a deep sigh.

"You're up early," she giggled, leaning back against him with ease.

He grunted, pressed a kiss into her hair, and held her even tighter. "Don't want ta be," he huffed, voice hoarse. "Come back to bed."

"I have class, Kid," she said, annoyed. "I told you last night I had to get up early. You could have gone home and slept in there."

"Rather stay here," he groaned again, giving her another kiss against her temple, then another on her ear. His arm gripped her hard when she moaned at his affection, and kissed her cheek and jaw as her breathing grew shallow. "Come back to bed."

"I can't," she argued weakly as her head tilted to the side, inviting him to kiss and suck at her neck. He smirked at the small mark he had left there the night before, and nipped to darken it.

"I know ya want to, Kitten," he chuckled as her legs seemed to give out on her, his hold the only thing keeping her on her feet. "Just for a few more hours."

"I have to be at school…" she trailed off with a gasp as his hand worked up her body beneath her shirt, teasing beneath her breast and making her rock back against his hardening length. She forced her eyes to open and glance at the clock on the stove. "I have to be at school in an hour. I can't."

"Skip class." He encouraged, firmly holding a round globe and tweaking her nipple between thumb and forefinger. She groaned, still stubbornly arguing him, and he gave a hard nip to her ear to make her shriek his name. "Yer smarter than everyone there. Probably ain't gonna hurt ya to miss a day."

"I have…" He cut off her next argument by spinning her in his hold and slamming his lips to hers with a growl. His hand wandered everywhere it could as he pressed her back against the counter, fluttering from her breasts to her ass, beneath her thigh to wrap her leg around him as he ground against her. She whimpered and shuddered, returning his eager and desperate kiss. Her hands trailing over his chest made him shiver with lust.

He'd drag her back to bed if he had to.

"Wait," she gasp again, shoving him away. He growled and attacked her neck, listening to her pant and moan while still holding him back. "I have to go to my lab today. We're…" she paused to whimper and arch her breasts into his chest when he found a sensitive spot he knew she loved. She pressed on shortly after. "We're finalizing the design."

"Design?" He grunted, confused.

"For the weapon." She whimpered and he gave another grunt in understanding, but he refused to stop tasting her skin as his hand began to tug at her shorts. "I have a prototype ready."

"Really?" He hummed, but her hands grasped his face and tugged him back to her lips. He grinned wolfishly at her sudden eagerness and happily devoured her lips while slipping his hand into her shorts. She gasped into the kiss when his fingers entered her, and he groaned at her wetness. "I'll be quick then."

Fifteen minutes later and Nami was shakily slipping back into her shorts in the middle of the kitchen. His grin was wide as he stared at her mused up state, her skin flush and hair a touch damp at the roots. He took her against the counter, fast and hard and had her screaming his name just as her water began to boil and steam angrily on the stove.

"Damn it, Kid," she huffed as she moved around him to pour her tea. He slid over a bit where he stood leaning against the counter, damn proud of getting another round in so early. He still wanted to drag her back to bed, such a quick fuck not really to his taste, but he'd take it if she was going to be stubborn. "If I'm late because of you…"

He chuckled and swatted at her backside. "Ya still got plenty a time, so quite bitchin'. I know ya enjoyed it."

Her cheeks puffed out at him, pink tinging them, as she glared over her steaming mug. His grin only grew wider.

"Damn ya look cute like that," he teased, only to have her eyes narrow more. "I'd be happy to take ya again, but then ya'd definitely be late."

"Kid!" She swatted at his arm. Her eyes couldn't seem to stay on his as he turned where he leaned against the counter, facing her completely. Eyes alight with fire bored into his amused ones when she finally looked up again. "And will you put some clothes on!"

"What? Am I temptin' ya too much?"

"No! I just don't want you walking around my home naked!" She yelled, only to gain another laugh.

"You could always walk around naked, too. I wouldn't mind."

"That is not the point!" She sighed dramatically and turned to stomp away, ignoring his loud laugh. "I need to finish getting ready for school. Just go back to bed."

"Tsh, fine." He sighed and followed after her to the bedroom. "Ya don't mind me hanging out while you're at class?"

She shrugged. "No, not really. Just lock up when you leave."

"Got it," he grunted as he grabbed her before she could disappear into the bathroom, giving her a small peck on her cheek. She giggled and he gave her one more then pulled away to collapse back into her bed. He was tired again. "I gotta work tonight," he called out while slipping under the sheets. She reappeared running a brush through her long hair, working at a few tangles in the ends that he knew he was partially responsible for.

"What time?"

"Late. Won't be done until the morning." He sighed and burrowed his face into his pillow. He narrowed his eyes with a frown, then reached to grab her pillow, drawing it against his chest in place of the woman he'd rather be holding. He glowered when he heard her giggle at the move, but then buried his face in the soft material and took a deep breath of her citrusy scent. "You got class again tomorrow, right?"

"Mhm," she answered, her voice faint as she vanished into the bathroom. "Half day, though. I can come over when I get done if you want."

His grin was hidden by her pillow. "Yeah, do that."

He was nodding off again when he heard the faucet run. Sometime later he was stirred awake as she knelt on the bed in front of him, her hand on his shoulder as she leaned over to press a kiss to his temple. He pried open an eye as he smiled at her and reached to grasp her arm, pulling her in for a hard kiss on the lips.

"See ya later, Kitten," he muttered as she left him with another peck.

"Later, Kid."

He went back to sleep content after that, even if he was missing her presence in his hold.

* * *

He vaguely heard shouting outside in the apartment's courtyard after a few hours of sleep. It was annoying, but he buried his head in the pillows and fought to reclaim sleep despite them. He had taken over Nami's bed, spread over the whole mattress, but settled mostly on her side where her scent still lingered. He was dozing back off when the shouting got louder and he growled at the noise. He'd go out on her balcony and yell at whatever shitheads were out there, but the bed was comfortable and he didn't want to move.

He had no choice when he heard glass shattering in the living room.

He scrambled from her bed, grabbing his jeans off the floor and slipping them on. He kept his breath calm, his movements silent as he crept toward the door. He didn't hear any more noise, but he didn't trust that he was alone. Nami kept a bat next to her bed, just in case, and he grabbed it on instinct.

He peeked around the corner once out in the hall, eyes sweeping over the apartment lit up from the mid-day sun. There was no movement, no shadows. The front door was shut and locked, the balcony door, too. His eyes landed on the broken pane of glass in the window by the balcony, narrowing at the hole made by whatever flew threw it. Carefully he stepped forward, examining the carpet and wary not to step in the shards until he spotted what came in.

The rock was about as big as his hand with _traitor _and _Arlong's Witch_ painted in red on each side. He frowned as he flipped it over a few times and headed toward the balcony to see if the people who threw it were still out there. He thought he caught someone running a ways down the block, but the hoodie they were wearing made it hard to tell who they might be. Whoever threw the rock had to be a fishman, he figured, but he couldn't see any discernible traits on the one guy out there.

His attention went back to the rock, eyes narrowing on it. Nami had been holding out on him with her history and connection to the fishmen, had hoped whatever was happening would blow over if she ignored it. It seemed they'd found her, though.

She was in danger.

First thing he felt he had to do was call his best friend. Nami couldn't be alone for a second, not if these people knew where she lived and were set on harassing her.

"Oi, Killer," he huffed into his cell a few minutes later, perched at Nami's small dinette table with the rock in front of him. "Something's come up at Nami's."

"She break up with you again?" Killer asked, sounding distracted.

Kid snarled at the quip. It wasn't the time for it. "Fuck no. She's at class and some shithead threw a rock at her window."

"Hmm," the blond hummed, his attention more focused on the call.

"Those fishmen found out where she lives."

"You sure it was them?"

"Who else would scrawl _Arlong's Witch_ and _traitor_ on a rock, if not those pricks?" He growled. "I need you to keep an eye on her. Pick her up from class today for me."

"What are you going to do?" Killer asked, not bothering to say if he'd pick her up or not. He would, he didn't have to say it.

"I got work tonight, and those fishmen have been hanging around Big Mom's territory a lot. I'll keep an eye out and ask questions while I'm down there." He grunted as he flipped the rock again.

"Kid, don't start any unnecessary fights."

"I know! I'm just going to ask questions!" He shouted, slamming the rock onto the table. "But I find the fucker who's tryin' scare Nami, I'll ask my fuckin' questions with my fists!"

"Calm down," Killer sighed. "Have you told Nami yet?"

"No, I'll call her in a bit. She's in class, though. Doubt she'll answer. I'll send her a text if that's the case to give her the heads up." He sighed, shifting uncomfortably in the chair. He needed to go out there and beat the shit out of someone. Nami was in trouble, and she didn't even know it yet. What if they were tailing her at class? Or around town? They might try to hurt her.

"I'll head off to the campus now," Killer volunteered as if reading Kid's thoughts. "Someone should keep an eye on her in case they know she's there."

"Thanks," he grunted again. He leaned his forehead in the palm of his hand, fingers digging into the loose strands falling over his face. "Fucking hell, she better not be gettin' into trouble right now."

"I'm going," his friend reassured and he heard the sound of the man climbing into his truck, the door slamming shut. "I'll call you if anything happens."

"Alright. I'm gonna hunt down her landlord, too. Get them to fix that window before some other shithead gets it in their mind to break in."

"Good plan. Call Nami."

"I'm on it. Thanks." He hung up as soon as Killer gave an answering hum and proceeded to call his girlfriend. As he expected, she didn't answer, so he furiously punched in a message telling her about the window and urging her to call him the first chance she had. If she tried to avoid him, dodge his questions, he was going to be pissed.

He needed to hear her voice and make sure she was okay.

While he waited for her to call him back, he attached his cybernetic arm, slipped on his burgundy t-shirt and hoodie, then went out to search the building for the manager. When he found someone in charge, they almost didn't believe his story, thought he was the one responsible for the broken window. A few snarled threats made them rethink that and he had someone in the apartment within a half an hour to fix the window.

If that hadn't worked, he would have just done it himself.

He was getting anxious to hear back from Nami as he sat around watching the guy fix her window. The longer it took her, the more he wondered if something had happened. He doubted they'd strike that fast, the broken window clearly a warning, but still he didn't like waiting around. He thought he might break a molar with how much he was grinding his teeth.

His cell phone finally rang just as the repairman was leaving and Kid pulled it out with an irritated, impatient growl. "Fucking finally, Nami," he bit into his phone, collapsing onto her sofa with a huff after slamming the door shut on the repairman.

"Sorry." Her voice was a high pitched sigh and he swore she was rolling her eyes at him. "I was in class, I called you the second I got out. So someone broke my window?"

"Yeah, and it wasn't an accident." He grunted, forcing himself to calm down. She didn't respond, but her silence spoke volumes. "_Traitor_ and _Arlong's Witch_ was painted on the fucking rock."

She drew in a breath and he listened as she let out in a slow rush of air. "Did you find my building manager to get the window repaired?"

He wanted to holler at her when she blatantly avoided his unspoken question, but he had expected as much from her. "Yeah. They already got it taken care of, and I cleaned the glass up."

"Thanks," she said, her voice sweeter and full of relief. He found himself preening at the simple gratitude. He wanted her to rely on him when she needed it, and she seemed to see that she could.

"Killer's coming by to keep an eye on you and pick you up from class."

"Wait, what? He doesn't-"

"He does," he cut her off, tone brooking no arguments. "The window's only the beginning and ya know it. They know where you live, Nami. They probably know where ya go to school, and hang out and work at Shakky's. I ain't taken the chance of having them find you and hurt you."

"I can take care of-"

"No." He said lowly, refusing to let her argue with him on this. "He's picking you up. That's final."

"Kid…"

"Fucking hell, do you want to get hurt?"

"No," she answered quietly.

"Then do as I say and let Killer bring ya home. Hell, I'm tempted t'have him bring you to my place. I don't like you being alone here."

"I'll be fine," she argue, but he growled low in his throat and she relented with a heavy sigh. "Alright, I can stay with my friends if you're that worried."

"Your friends helped ya out with this Arlong guy, didn't they?"

"Yeah…"

"Then ya ain't safe with them, either. You'll stay with me."

"Kid…"

"I said it's final."

"You can't order me around," she huffed.

"I will when yer stubbornness is gonna get ya killed." He sank back into her couch with a tired sigh. "Hopefully it won't be too long, and you can go back home. I'm gonna ask around at work tonight, find out if anyone knows anything. I won't let these pricks keep breathin' if they're thinkin' of coming' after ya." He heard another sigh, but she didn't argue him further. "Since that's settled. Yer probably gonna want a few things at my place."

He picked himself up from the couch with a grunt and headed toward her bedroom to pack for her.

"There's a bag under my bed," she directed, and he got on his knees to fumble around for it. Once out and on her bed, he turned to the closet.

"Ya care what I grab?"

"Just make sure they match… Though I don't trust you to figure that out on your own, so just grab a couple of everything."

He chuckled at her half-hearted insult. He never did care about matching, so the jab wasn't wrong. "Ya walk around in next to nothin' most of the time, Kitten. I'll just grab jeans and the smallest tops ya own." He laughed lower as he grabbed the clothes, hangers and all, and tossed them onto the bag on the bed. "Hell, yer gonna be naked most of the time while ya stay with me."

"Kid! You are not taking advantage of this!"

"Who said I was taking advantage? Any time yer in my bed, yer naked. Simple fact." He grinned as she released a disgruntled sound. He thought he heard the thunk of her head hitting a wall.

"I should just go stay with Luffy, at least I can trust him not to take advantage of me."

"Oi! You are not staying with some other guy!" He hollered as he made his way to her dresser.

"It's Luffy! He doesn't count! You cannot be jealous of him, Kid!" She yelled back at him.

He huffed, knowing she was right, but he still didn't like the idea. That guy was close to her, and when he finally gets a chance to meet him, he'll know for sure if it's as strictly platonic as she says it is, but until then… he didn't like the idea of her staying with any guy. "I already said yer stayin' with me! Ya won't be safe with him if these fishmen are out for revenge, or whatever the fuck this is. So quit tryin' to find an excuse to get out of it!" There was another annoyed sound, but she refrained from arguing further. He let out another huff and dug around in her drawers. "And why the fuck haven't you worn this for me yet?"

"Huh? Worn what?" He imagined she had her head cocked to the side, blinking cutely, and his temper receded even more at the image.

"This bra," he snickered when she shrieked in outrage. "The red one with the black skull and crossbones. It's cute."

"Don't go through my underwear, Kid!"

"For fuck's sake! I'm packing you clothes and ya probably need this shit, right!?" There was a disgruntled sigh and another thunk of her head against a wall. "Oh hey, ya got panties to match."

"Kid!"

He chuckled at her outrage as he tossed more of her things onto the bed. "Lighten up, Kitten. Not like I haven't seen most of these…. 'cept for the skull ones. Yer wearin' those for me when I get off work. I like the bras that unhook in the front." There was a strangled whine on her end, she sounded utterly mortified. "And I've dug through this drawer before. I stashed my condoms in here."

"That you hardly ever use…" she groaned, her voice sounding muffled. She must be hiding her blush wherever she is.

"Yer on the pill," he waved her off and moved back to her closet for some of her shoes. The woman had too many clothes and he knew she liked wearing all of them.

"That reminds me…"

"Yeah, yeah, I got 'em. The round plastic thing in your nightstand, right?" He turned back to her nightstand to grab the birth control.

"You need to stop going through my things, Kid. How do you know where all my stuff is?"

"I pay attention more than ya think." He grunted, then chuckled. "'Specially when yer naked at the time."

"Kid…" She groaned.

Idly, he popped open the little case of pills and frowned at the packets. "Yer almost out…"

"I'll pick up more next week," she huffed.

"… Should I grab… stuff…"

"Stuff?" Her head was probably cocked the side again, but he didn't care as much this time. Fucking women. He was glad he wasn't one.

"Yeah, stuff. Chick stuff."

"Chick stuff?" She hummed in thought, but he refused to say the words. "Oh… OH! Ummm… under the sink."

He muttered a string of curses, but turned toward the bathroom.

"There's also a travel bag under there. Grab my shampoo and conditioner."

"Got it," he grunted, tossing all her things away. "And yer toothbrush."

"Thank you," she chirped happily and he felt himself smirk.

He hummed in response while balancing his phone between his cheek and his shoulder. He was back in the bedroom, shoving everything into the bag and zipping it shut. "Now admit I'm the best boyfriend ya ever had."

He knew she rolled her eyes, even if he couldn't see it, but she made that sound she always made when she was annoyed.

"The bar's pretty low, Kid. You're the only boyfriend I've ever had."

He snorted, well aware that was true. Only made him feel luckier he managed to get her to stop running. "Just humor me, Kitten."

"You just want me to pet your ego," she sighed.

Kid shoulder the bag with another laugh, glancing around to make sure he got everything she might need, and headed toward the front door.

"Not the only thing I like having you pet."

"Kid!" She screeched. "I'm hanging up on you now!"

He cackled at how easy it was to rile her up. "Fine, but text Killer when ya do to let him know yer alright. And tell him when yer done with classes and where to meet you."

"I don't need a babysitter."

"Tough, yer gettin' one," he growled at her. "I'll see ya when I get done with work… And wear that bra for me."

She let out another exasperated noise. "Later, Kid."

He slipped his phone into his pocket when she hung up, locked up the apartment, and headed down to his car. Some part of him was glad to know he'd be coming home the next day to his girlfriend waiting in his bed, but another part, a much larger part, hated the reason.

He'll tear apart the whole fishmen district if he has to, whatever kept her safe.

* * *

_Kid, the strangely considerate and observant boyfriend struck in this chapter, obviously. And yes, he full on preens any time he does something right and Nami thanks him for it. He's such a proud child when he proves his worth, even in such a small way._

_I'll see about getting the next chapter done sooner, but I'm leaving for a trip to California in a little over a week (for those not following all my LawNa stories where I keep mentioning it, ahahaha). We'll see what I have time for. Don't be surprised if it takes until I get back, though... but we'll see. I know what the next chapter will be, it was actually going to be the second half of this one, but I decided to break it up. Might not take too long._


	19. Chapter 19

_Plot relevant smut at the last part of the chapter. As much as Kid just wants everything to be smut, I will say what I write here is actually necessary to give some insight into his emotional character, how he reacts to things, and how those emotions can effect him._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_A Move Made Early_

Concentrating in class had never been more difficult. Her mind was wrapped around the fact the fishmen had found her apartment and were set on harassing her. She was glad Kid was there when it happened, let her know ahead of time, rather than have to go home to find the rock and broken window waiting for her.

She would have panicked if that happened. She would have wondered if someone had gotten in, feared that she wasn't alone. She would have run for her friends to hide where she felt safest.

Except Kid had a point, she wasn't that much safer with them. The fishmen knew that it was Luffy who brought down Arlong, and now they knew to blame her for leading him there. If they knew where she lived, they had to know where Luffy lived, or any of her other friends. They'd be waiting for her to show up there.

They couldn't know about Kid, though. She knew she should be safe there, he and his friends would protect her. She worried just what kind of rampage Kid might go on because of this, but Luffy would rampage right along with him once he found out. Whatever happened, it would not be a pretty end for the fishmen gang targeting her. As worried as she was about losing them if the fishmen proved stronger, she was confident it would turn out fine.

She was more worried about the inevitable questioning she was going to receive from Kid next time she saw him. She had managed to avoid discussing Arlong at length with him, and he seemed to be holding some patience to let her open up on her own. This threat was going to change that. She knew he wanted to hear the story when she called him back, or at least wanted a promise that she would tell him later. She was glad he let her dodge that, but she couldn't avoid it for long, not with him.

She hoped he would understand that it was just too painful for her to discuss, but she wouldn't hold to that hope.

"Nami-chan? Yohoo~" She jumped at the voice whispering in her ear and turned to see Professor Haredas standing beside her, head cocked to the side with curious worry. "Are you still with us?"

"Uh, yeah. Sorry." She sighed, shaking away her thoughts and forcing a smile for her mentor.

"Hmmm." He stared a moment longer, then gave a satisfied nod before turning back to the front of the laboratory classroom. "Nami-chan, would please present the latest modifications of your manipulator prototype."

"Of course," she chirped, happier with the distraction as she stood and tugged the three metal rods from her backpack, heading to the front of the room to display the weapon to the other professors and graduate students running the weather modification program. "Each rod houses a weather ball component- heat or cool- and an electrical component…"

* * *

It was just after five in the evening when she finally got out of her lab session. Her prototype tested well, there were some minor hang ups, but for the most part it looked like she would be earning her grant money for the rest of the year, and maybe even win another for the following year. Most of her classmates had headed off, her professors found their ways to their offices or some late night classes, leaving her alone until Killer found her.

He insisted she wait in the building and to call him the moment she was done. She wanted to argue with him, but she couldn't even argue with Kid… Killer was even harder to sway once his mind was made up. She could just picture that blank glare on the other end of the phone when she tried, receiving silence in return. He didn't even have to say anything and she caved to him. It was annoying, but she knew he meant well.

With a sigh, she pulled out her cell as she skipped down the steps of the Weather Sciences building and called her ride to come find her.

"Are you done?" Killer answered immediately. His breath was short, he was already moving toward her.

"Yeah. I'm waiting outside the building. Do you know which one it is?" She couldn't help but look around. With Kid, and even Killer, acting so protective of her after a single rock was sent through her window, she couldn't help but feel wary. She was fearful enough by nature; they were honestly making it worse.

"I told you to wait inside."

"I'm just sitting on the step, the building is right behind me." She huffed, glancing back at the glass doors leading to the building's lobby. She probably would be better off waiting inside.

The silence she was met with made her sigh, groaning as she stood to turn back toward the building.

"You're worse than Kid," she relented.

"Why do you think he asked me to pick you up in the first place?" Killer chuckled. "I'll be there in a few minutes. I know it's the white one on the south end. I parked on a nearby street."

"And what about my bike?" She asked while trudging back up the steps. Her instincts were screaming at her not to hang up until she was inside. She couldn't understand why, but she wasn't about to ignore them.

"Kid's got a trailer at the house. I brought it so we can cart your bike back to our place," he explained, further resigning her to the fact he was taking her back to the house.

"Thanks," she sighed again.

A faint rustle in a bush at the top of the steps distracted her, and she paused just outside the door to glance around nervously.

"Nami?" Killer prompted, noticing the awkward silence on her end.

"I just thought I heard something." She shook her head, clearing away her nerves. "I think you guys are making me paranoid."

"Hurry up and get inside," Killer urged sharply and she swore it sounded like he was running.

She wasn't going to argue with him now and reached for the door to head into the building. She screamed when she felt a hand grab her arm and jerk her away from the door, spinning her to come face to face with five grinning and snickering fishmen.

"Nami! What happened!?" She heard Killer shouting into the phone, but her voice was trapped in her throat as she stared down the men surrounding her. One carried a bat, another a chain, the others looked ready to do whatever damage they cared to with their fists.

"Hurry," she croaked before dropping her phone to the ground.

She could hear him shouting over the line as she reached into her backpack, fingers wrapping tight around the three metal rods of her staff. The last thing she heard was Killer's loud curse, then the line went dead and she was throwing her staff up to block the first attack from the fishman with a bat.

She had trained for years to fight by Arlong's gang. She was weak, she knew it, but even still, he didn't let her go around thieving without some form of defense. She was his officer and he wouldn't have her falling to some pathetic human. If she could at least hold her own against a fishman well enough, she could handle humans just fine out on the streets. She was scared, she didn't have the strength of the fishmen race, but she knew how to fight with what she had available.

Arlong always said her brain was what set her above humans in his mind, made her almost equal to his fishmen brethren, and those wits were what let her survive in his gang as long as she did.

She used the fishmen's own force to spin his bat away with a rod of her staff while she used the other two to send a quick strike to his chin, sending him reeling back to regain his bearings. It left her open to assemble her staff to its full length, just in time to block the whip of a chain aiming for her head. The rod was taller than she was, cumbersome if she was anyone else. She had always fought with a bo staff, albeit one that was closer to her height, so she adjusted easily to the different length and took full advantage of it.

The chain was wrapped around the end of her staff, twisted around as she spun the rod and ripped it from the man's grasp. Two of the other fishmen charged at her then, and she spun and twirled her staff, a dangerous whirl of metal around her head that was worsened by the chain at the end. The chain flew into one man's face with enough force to send him crashing to the ground. Her staff then caught the other one at the temple.

She breathed a sigh of relief when he tripped with the force and fell down the stairs, head slamming into the concrete mercilessly.

One down. Four to go.

She leapt away from the man with a bat again, nearly found herself caught by the fifth man waiting for her, but she slammed the end of her staff into his stomach, then ducked and spun, tripping him with the rod. He was dazed, but not out, at least it gave her more time to do what she needed as she spun her staff over her head a few more times, deterring another attack.

Cold eyes darted between the four remaining fishmen as they surrounded her. She needed to get further from the building if she was going to attempt what she had in mind.

With another swing, she cleared a small opening to fly down the steps, leaping two at a time with grace. She was used to running when she was scared, and she was terrified at that moment. She wouldn't get away, she could hear them coming after her, but she would fight for her life. She wouldn't let them kill her there.

"Come back here, witch!" One of them called out to her. "We ain't gonna hurt ya…"

"Much…" Another snickered and she came to a stop, spinning on her heel to face them once more.

"That's a good girl. We're just gonna take you back to Hody so he deal with you." One of them crept closer, but she growled and shoved the end of her staff toward his face.

"Still can't believe a guy like Arlong let a weak little human into his gang."

"She had to be a pet." Nami growled at the last remark, hands tightening around her staff. They ignored the silent threat. "That's gotta be it. She's feisty, too. He probably kept her around for laughs."

"You idiots obviously know nothing about him," she hissed. As much as Arlong saw her as his little cat thief, his possession who never failed to amuse him sometimes, he wouldn't keep a human around for such a simple reason. He was cruel, but he had aspirations and goals that hinged on having her in his gang. She wasn't just some pet. She was an officer of his gang. A sister, as much as she wanted to spit in his face every time he called her that.

"Does it matter? We know what happened to him, all 'cause ya brought your friends to save you. And for that, you'll answer to Hody. Anyway, Arlong had gone soft. He was pathetic compared to Hody, but you made a mockery of what he stood for, and Hody isn't going to forgive you for that." The man chuckled, he and his comrades coming closer.

They froze at the sound of lightning crackling, static charging the air around them. When they finally looked at her, truly looked at her, they only saw her sly smirk before her rod arced in front of them, releasing a massive bolt of lightning at all four. The thunder was deafening, surprised her for a moment as she tried to shake away the slight ringing in her ears. They were down on the ground, twitching as electricity continued to ripple through them. She almost felt bad about using such a violent attack, but at least they were still breathing.

"Witch!" Someone shouting barely got through muffled ears and she spun, staff up to block the first man she had taken out. His skin was stripped horizontally, two shades of blue. He had growths over his mouth that resembled a beard and a fin on his back that told her that he was a species of shark, Wobblelong if she remembered correctly.

He had grabbed the other man's chain and seemed to wield it far better as he managed to keep her moving back, dodging every swing until the chain was wrapped around the middle of her staff. She held it in front of her, bracing him as he lunged at her. They struggled like that until his overwhelming strength finally beat hers.

His head slammed into the bridge of her nose, sending her falling back to the ground with a pained shriek. He was on top of her the next second, her staff tossed from her reach. She cried out again when his fist collided with the left side of her face. She kicked and held her arms up to block more blows, but before he could get another in, he was ripped off of her as Killer came running in.

The blond tackled the man hard, slamming him to the ground. She knew he usually kept two knives on him, hidden within a side pocket of his jeans. He had them out then, held reversed with the edge out as he preferred, and slashed without restraint at the prone fishmen until his arms were covered in thick, bleeding cuts. Killer didn't stop until the fishmen managed to fling him off and attempted to scramble away. The blond didn't back down entirely, though, he lunged at the fishman, slicing across the man's face before he was kicked hard in the gut and sent flying back.

"Fuck," the fishmen coughed as he stumbled. He pointed at Nami, growling as he backed away before Killer could get up and come at him again. "Take this as another warning, witch. Hody will get his hands on you and your friends eventually." He leapt away when Killer came flying toward him again, knives reversed to slash with every hook of his arms. "Your guard dog can't watch you forever."

He ran then, Killer chasing him a short ways but coming to a halt before he got too far. Nami shut her eyes where she still lay on the ground, her head leaning back. Her hand came up to tenderly brush her nose and cheek as she listened to Killer walk back to her, letting out a curious hum as he passed the electrocuted fishmen.

"You okay, Nami?" He asked, crouching at her side and gently tugging her hand from her face to see the damage himself. "Shit."

"That bad?" She laughed, her smirk sullen.

"Not horrible," he hummed, his fingers cool on her skin as he tilted her head toward him. "It doesn't look like your nose is broken, but it's swelling. Small cut on your cheek, doesn't look like it'll need stitches. Wire should be off of work, we'll have him take a look."

She nodded in agreement and let out a heavy sigh as she opened her eyes to look up at the sky behind Killer. "You're going to call Kid about this, too, huh?"

"I have to. Would you rather I give him a heads up, or have him come home to find you bruised and battered?" Killer stood and reached out a hand to help her stand. "What's the story with the charred ones?"

"Lightning works a lot better than a taser," she laughed as she brushed off her jeans and tank top.

Killer chuckled, going to grab the innocent looking staff. He winced away from it when he tried to touch it. "It's hot."

"It just conducted about ten thousand amperes of electrical current, maybe a little less." She shrugged, moving toward the stairs to the building to get her bag.

"Did you burn yourself wielding this thing?" Killer asked, watching her carefully to make sure no other threats were around.

She skipped back down the stairs once she had her things and pulled out a cloth from her bag. "They're a little tender, but I'll live."

"It's not like you to be so reckless," he lectured.

"It's my weapon, and at least I know it works well enough now. Against fishmen, I had no other choice but to use it."

"True enough…" he sighed heavily as he observed her carefully wrap each rod in the cloth, making it safe to put away again. Shouting in the distance distracted him, his head shooting up to look around for more fishmen possibly coming to fight him. It was only a few security guards, but Killer grasped her by the arm and tugged her along anyway. "Let's get out of here."

"Right, we need to pick up my bike, too."

"Later." He said lowly. "You need to be checked out. Just let me know where you parked it and I'll come pick it up later tonight."

She opened her mouth to argue, but he shot her a look and she immediately snapped it shut.

There really was no arguing with Killer.

* * *

Killer calling Kid had been an event Nami never wished to witness again. She sat on their couch, Wire dabbing antiseptic on the cut to her cheek and directing her to hold a pack of ice to her nose every time he pulled away. She didn't wince as much at the pain as she did at Kid's voice hollering through Killer's cell, loud enough that she almost swore he was in the house. Killer had to hold his phone at arm's length as he calmed the fuming man.

She frowned darkly when Killer went out to the front to finish the phone call. As grateful as she was not to hear Kid's temper anymore, she wanted to know what they were talking about. She knew that it was about the fishmen, and most of all her association with them… Maybe she didn't want to hear.

She needed fresh air once Wire was done bandaging her cheek and took to the patio just off the den, a glass of bourbon in one hand and ice pack in the other. She tried to relax, to shake off the urge to hide away from her problems. She couldn't hide from them, she knew that, but she wished she could. She was glad her hands had stopped trembling after a while.

They threatened to start up again when she heard the angry scream of tires on asphalt and an engine roaring down the street. She stayed where she was as she heard him pull up, his car door slamming in the front and then the door into the house from the garage. She was sure the house shook with the force he used.

"Where the fuck is she!?" He hollered over Killer's muffled attempts to calm him. "I am calm, damn it!" He hollered, prompting Nami to roll her eyes where she sat outside. She heard him stomp through the house and then the glass patio door was thrown open to reveal her absolutely furious boyfriend.

She spared him a hint of a smirk as he stood in the door, glowering at her from a distance. With a huff, he calmed enough to come out to her, his steps still falling heavy on the low deck. If he hadn't built it himself, with his temper in mind, Nami might have feared that he would shatter the wood under his boots. He came to stop in front of her, hand grasping her by the chin, gentler than she would expect in his anger, and tilted her head side to side to appraise the damage.

"Fuckin' nice shiner ya got there, Kitten," he huffed, teasing words belying his urge to kill something, she knew.

"I've had worse," she shrugged.

His eyes narrowed dangerously on her for a moment, then he crouched down to level his face with hers. "Ya shouldn't have to have any."

"Kid…" She sighed.

"I'm gonna kill the shit for brains who thought he could do this to you and live," he muttered.

She gave him an exhausted look, one he ignored in favor of turning her head again to look at the bruising flesh on her cheek and around her left eye. She sighed again.

"Did Killer at least tell you I took out four of them on my own?"

He finally chuckled, the sound dark and sadistic. "Told me ya fried 'em to a crisp with a bolt of lightning. Guess that weapon a'yers works. Too bad ya didn't get that fifth."

"But I did!" She huffed, glaring at him. "At least at first. I caught him in the temple with my staff and he fell down the stairs. I thought he was knocked out cold when he didn't get up again."

"First mistake. Never think a guy's down just 'cause of a bump on the head," he lectured. He snorted at her annoyed pout, sounding slightly more relaxed as he pat the top of her head and pulled her in to press a kiss to her forehead. "But ya fought well. That brain a'yours certainly works well enough t' keep ya alive."

She huffed once more and sank back into the chair when he pulled away, crossing her arms. He chuckled as she glared while taking a sip from her liquor and reached up to nudge her chin. "I still hate ya got that, but ya look pretty damn badass, babe."

Giggling at the strange compliment, she held her glass to him, offering he take a drink to calm whatever anger lingered. He took it and downed the last gulp, then leaned in to snatch a kiss from her.

"Thanks, Kitten. I gotta get back t'work," he mumbled against her lips and stole another kiss.

"I'm surprised you didn't take off the rest of the night."

"I wanted to, but I haven't had a chance t'ask around down there about those fishmen. I ain't slackin' on that, 'specially not after they attacked ya sooner than I expected." His hands went to her thighs as he pushed himself to stand, holding himself up as he bent over to press one more kiss to her forehead. "I'll be home around dawn."

"And I'll be waiting for you in bed," she smirked cheekily, earning another laugh from him. He leaned in one last time, stealing more affection before he took off to get back to the casino.

"You behave for Killer." He pointed at her from the patio door in warning.

"I can't argue with him, you know that. He's worse than you." She huffed, waving him off as he chuckled again.

"Later, Kitten."

She waved again, sinking into her chair. She felt a little more relaxed after seeing him, though she feared for the people who got in his path that night.

She had a feeling a lot of fishmen were going to be sporting black eyes by the morning, if not worse.

* * *

Killer made dinner for her and his housemates after Kid left. As she sat on the couch eating with the three men, television on in the background, she was reminded of her life only a few years before. She had days that she missed living with Luffy and the guys, but the constant fights and games were distracting, wore on her nerves when she needed space and quiet. Kid's friends weren't quite as rowdy, at least not while at home. They had their quarrels, and when they drank they could get loud, but otherwise it was a quiet dinner.

At least she didn't have to worry about guarding her plate.

She insisted on helping Killer clean up, even as he frowned at her and tried to wave her off to the den. In the end he caved and let her help dry the pots while he loaded the dishes into the washer. It was probably the first argument she ever won against him.

She made her way down to Kid's basement room once the kitchen was clean and Killer was adamant she relax after her day. She agreed then, if only because her nose was aching. Curious about what Kid did with her things, she went into his room to find her bag tossed on the floor by the trunk he had at the end of the bed. To her surprise, it was empty, so she went over to the closet, frowning at the piles of his clothes along the way. Her things were hung, a bit haphazardly and out of her normal order, but at least they weren't still crumpled in the bag. He grabbed a few of her favorite pairs of shoes, proving he really did pay more attention than she thought, and tossed them onto the floor. It was strangely amusing to see her high heels mixed in with his boots and loafers. The size and style difference clashed awkwardly, yet somehow she liked it.

After rearranging her clothes to her liking, she glanced around, curious where he put the rest. She went to his dresser and found a drawer cleared out for her underwear, reminding her of the mortifying conversation earlier. He had really gone through her underwear drawer. She should charge him for that.

The bathroom found her bag of toiletries. He remembered to grab her hair brush, even a few ties she knows she had on the counter. Toothbrush, hygiene products, vitamins, shampoo and conditioner, body wash, her favorite lotion, and so on. He was surprisingly thorough in packing her things. Maybe she could overlook the charge for the underwear drawer.

She also considered that he might have just literally snatched everything in sight without putting too much thought into it, but the fact he knew where her pills were said he was actually being considerate of what she might need. That thought brought a smile to her face and a warmth to her chest. Maybe staying with him wasn't such a bad idea after all.

She spent the rest of the night tidying up Kid's room. She had always frowned at the piles of clothes he'd leave strewn around while his perfectly good hamper tended to remain empty. She knew he picked up from time to time, but only enough to make it possible to move around, or to wash his clothes when he finally ran out. She refused to live that way for however long she was there.

Once she felt somewhat pleased with the room's order, Nami found herself bored. She only had one of her textbooks with her and nothing else to read, something she realized she would need to take care of the first second she had a chance to get back into her apartment. She took to the couch in the small living area off of Kid's bedroom and flipped on the television, her only option to keep herself entertained until she was ready to sleep.

It was odd to be hanging around Kid's place without him there to keep her company, especially so late at night. She could hear the other guys moving about, doing their nightly routines. Killer popped in to check on her before going to bed, letting her know he picked up her bike and seeing that she was settled in, only further making her feel strangely out of place, a guest who might turn out to be there for a while. She knew they expected her to make herself at home there, but she didn't feel like she fit quite right into the place. It wasn't like when she'd be with Luffy and the others, where she literally was at home any time she was at their place, even if she didn't live there anymore. They were her friends and family.

Kid and the guys were certainly her friends, even if she never expected them to be, and she had been hanging out with them more than her own friends lately, but it still felt different. She was Kid's girlfriend first, their friend second. With her group, she was just Nami.

She wondered if that would change while she was staying there. Would she fall into their dynamics more? Make it feel more like a home to her? She wondered if that would make it harder when she inevitably had to leave.

It was late when she finally decided to go to bed. She slipped on one of Kid's shirts, knowing he'd appreciate finding her like that. He'd appreciate it more if she wore nothing at all, but she wasn't about to entice him into waking her up at dawn. Granted, she knew it didn't make much of a difference with him.

Kid liked to keep his room warm. Really the entire house, but especially his bedroom. It wasn't swelteringly hot, but it was comfortable enough that he never needed more than a sheet to sleep under most of the year. That first night, alone in his bed, trying to find sleep, she wished his room was cooler. She wanted the comfort of a cozy blanket. He had a thin blanket he used in the winter, and that he now kept out for her if she needed it, but it wasn't the same as the soft, creamy blanket she had at home. It was never a problem when he was there, wrapped around her and proving to be a better source of warmth and comfort, but without him, she just felt naked and lonely.

She still managed to find sleep, light and restless, later than night. She hadn't even realized she was sleeping until she was woken by the sound of the door to the basement closing. He tried to be quiet, but he obviously wasn't used to coming home to someone sleeping in his bed. She rolled her back to the door, trying to feign sleep, or maybe even find it again, and listened as he fumbled around his room and the bathroom. The second she felt the bed dip with his weight and the blanket pull up as he slid under, she felt her whole body relax as it hadn't been able to all night.

His arm slipped around her waist and tugged her back against his chest. He groaned, sounding annoyed, as he buried his face against her neck. "Ya ain't naked."

She snorted at the complaint, half-hearted as his lips pressed a kiss to her skin. "Just go to sleep, Kid."

He grunted, left another kiss while his hand worked under her shirt. She was prepared for him to try something more, but he settled down into the pillows and nuzzled her hair. Was he actually planning to go to sleep?

Something was wrong.

She rolled over in his hold, ignoring his growl, and faced him with her leg wrapping over his hip. He cracked open an eye to glare, then his arm tugged her closer and he shut his eye again. "What?" He asked in a surly tone.

"Something's bothering you," she said bluntly and he cracked open his eye again. "What is it?"

His gaze settled on the bruise around her eye before he grunted and shut his eyes once more. "Just want to sleep."

She frowned at the avoidant answer. "I figured you'd take advantage of finding me asleep in your bed after work."

He managed to crack a smile and let out an amused huff. His hand trailed down her back, beneath the boy shorts she wore to bed, and grabbed a handful of her ass. "That enough to satisfy ya? I ain't in the mood."

"That's a first," she muttered. He snapped open his eyes to glare hard at her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin'. Just drop it and go to sleep," he growled.

"Did you run into any fishmen at work?" She asked anyway.

His hand squeezed her backside hard, his fingers digging into her flesh as he pressed her hips against his. He wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't in the mood.

"Two of 'em. They didn't have a mark and didn't know shit about who's after ya."

"Did you hurt them?" She had a note of disapproval in her voice that only prompted him to narrow his eyes on her more.

"Scared 'em," he grunted, his hand relaxing as it drifted down between her legs. "Didn't do more than shove 'em around. They were thugs, even if they weren't part of that gang."

She gasped when she felt his fingers tease her. She could clearly feel that he wasn't aroused. He was trying to distract her and make her stop questioning him. She wasn't about to give in. She could be as stubborn as he was.

"Is that what's bothering you?" Her voice came out steady as she resisted the feeling of his fingers tracing her lower lips. "That you couldn't get any answers?"

He sneered and dipped his fingers into her canal, forcing her to bite her cheek to keep from moaning. "If I said that was it, would ya shut up and drop it?"

"No, because I know that's not it." She glared darkly at him.

"For fuck's sake, Nami," he bit out. He rolled to his back, dragging her with him to straddle him. His hand went to her front as she sat up to stare down at him, and she couldn't hold back her moan as he pushed his fingers into her roughly. "Take off that fuckin' shirt."

"I thought you weren't in the mood?" She asked even as her hands went to lift the shirt over her head.

His gaze settled onto her naked chest, blank and without that heat she knew so well. "I ain't, but I don't want to talk about this shit, so I'll shut ya up this way."

"Kid," she reprimanded, only to have him thrust his fingers into her harder.

"It ain't gonna make a difference if I talk about some pissy feelings, so just leave it alone."

"You don't know that, it might…"

He cut her off as he sat up and slammed his lips to her, his fingers pumping relentlessly until she was gasping and moaning, hips rocking with his movements.

"Kid…" She moaned when he pulled away to lean down and wrap his lips around a nipple. She saw the corner of a grin- he thought he had her beat. She tugged at his hair as his thumb swirled around her clitoris and made her shudder with the first wisps of an orgasm. "Tell me."

"Damn it, Nami!" He hollered.

She whimpered when his fingers left her, but refused to show any desperation for completion. She didn't even have a chance as he shoved her back onto the bed, hand ripping her shorts down her legs and lips sucking fiercely at her neck as he propped himself up with his armless shoulder.

She could feel him pumping his cock between their bodies, sliding it against her slit to arouse himself as he growled in frustration. "There's a fucking gang after you and I don't know shit about why," he huffed. When he was hard enough, he pushed into her with a groan. Her arms wrapped around him, nails digging into his back as he stretched her. "I know ya ain't gonna tell me, though, so don't fuckin' bitch when I'm in a bad mood about it."

"Kid," she sighed as he lay on top of her, unmoving save for his arm coming to wrap firmly around her waist. With another sigh, she reached to grasp his hair tight and yank as sharply as she could. His head pulled up to let her see his guarded frown, but the roughness of the move made him rock his hips once. She'd let him win for now. "Just fuck me, already."

He grinned victoriously, adjusted to sit back on his knees and pull her into his lap with a short command of "Hold on."

She knew what he meant and wrapped her legs around him before his hips rocked back. He thrust up into her hard, making her shriek. He continued as his arm tucked under her ass, holding her to his rhythm as his lust grew watching her throw her head back to moan loudly with every thrust. Her nails raked his back and shoulders as she tried to maintain her hold as he pumped harder, his arm moving her body to meet his thrusts.

She heard him curse low in his throat when she came, crying out her relief as her nails dug into his skin even deeper. He fell to the bed, covering her as he panted and moaned, his hips pounding furiously into her until he came. His teeth dug into her shoulder, muffling his next string of curses as he pushed deep into her and shuddered.

"You shouldn't…" She gasped for air and tried to collect stray bits of thought while Kid slumped against her, body hot and tired above her. "You shouldn't… take my unwillingness to talk…" She paused to groan as he slipped out of her with an irritated growl. "… Personally."

"I ain't," he grumbled. He forced himself to sit back on his knees, leaving her on the bed to glare at his annoyed expression.

"You are," she said firmly, pushing up on her arms. "It has nothing to do with how I feel about you, or whether or not I trust you enough to tell you. It's just…" She sighed, glancing away with a frown. "It's just painful… Sanji and Usopp are the only two of my friends who know the details about what happened to me… And they only know because my sister told them…" She looked back up at him to see his more thoughtful look. "And she only told them to get them to leave before they brought me any more trouble."

"Straw Hat doesn't know?"

She shook her head. "No, at least I never said anything. He figured out the majority of it on his own when he met Arlong. Zoro, too. Those were the four that were there and got me out of that mess, and I never said a word to them about what he did to me."

"Your other friends? Frank… that creepy lady?"

"Robin," she corrected with a glare. "And no… well, I've told a few stories to Robin, but they were vague. She got most of what she knows from Sanji and Usopp. Franky only knows whatever he's been around to hear from Hachi, and even he skimped on the details every time he discussed my history with Arlong. Hachi is the only one who knows every single detail… but that's because he was there…."

"That octopus guy?" His brow rose at her nod. "He's the guy you forgave for worse?" She nodded again and he let out an exasperated sigh, reaching up to run a hand through messy red hair. "Damn it. That bad, huh?"

"I'd rather not relive those memories. I promised that I'd always look forward, not at the past."

"But yer past is back to fuck with yer present," he glowered.

She shrugged. "I know, though I've never even met these guys. I wasn't lying when I said I have zero connection to them. All I know is they're mad about what happened with Arlong, they idolized him or something. They blame me for the fact Arlong's in prison." He hummed approvingly as she sat up more, reaching to wrap her arms around his neck to help pull herself back into his lap. She gave him a devilish smirk that he happily leaned in to kiss the corner of. "Those guys scare me, but I'm not worried about how it'll turn out because I'm not alone. I have Luffy and my friends, and…" Her smile widened as she wrapped herself around him more. "And I have you. You said you'll protect me no matter what, and I trust you to."

Whatever annoyance lingered in him vanished at her words, a grin spreading his lips before he fell to his side in bed, taking her with him as his arm held her tight. She giggled as he leaned in to steal a hard kiss.

"Feel better?" She laughed when he settled back into his pillow.

"Yeah," he sighed. "Yer right. Doesn't matter what happened to ya, I'll still take care of you."

Her smile was warm as she brought a hand to run over his cheek, pulling herself closer and leaning her forehead to his. "You know… you remind me of Luffy when you say that," she admitted softly. "Actually, you remind me of him a lot of the time."

"Is that supposed t'be a compliment?" He quirked a brow, but she could see him smirking in amusement.

"Yeah… well," she giggled as he squeezed her tight. "Most of the time it is. He also drives me insane like you."

"You like the insanity I bring ya, though," he chuckled, tilting his head to steal fluttering light kisses from her.

"Maybe," she sang between kisses, laughing at his playful growl as he pushed her onto her back.

"You got class this morning right?" He asked between increasingly longer kisses. Judging by what she felt when he wedged himself between her legs, he was feeling much better than he was.

"I do…" She gasped and arched into him when his lips found that one spot below her ear that always made her mind fog over. "But… After yesterday, I think I'd rather take the day off."

"Good," he groaned, rubbing himself against her slit with slow rocks of his hips.

"And I need you to take me back to my place later…" She trailed off with a moan.

"Why?" He grunted and froze above her, obviously unhappy with the suggestion.

"I forgot to tell you to get my textbooks, and I want my blanket while I'm here. It's softer and cozier than yours." She tugged at his hair and he went back to sucking at her neck, a chuckle rumbling in his chest.

"Alright, princess." She could feel him smirk as he nipped her skin. "Can't have ya bitchin' 'cause of a fuckin' blanket."

"I just want to be comfortable here, especially when you work at night. I couldn't sleep well without you here." She pouted, making him laugh even more.

"Spoiled brat." He gave one more nip to her neck and pushed to hover over her, eyes trailing to the exaggerated pout. He grinned and leaned in to nip at her lip. "Yer lucky yer cute." She giggled at the complaint. "I'm gonna fuck ya one more time, then get a few hours of sleep, Kitten. I'll take ya over for all that crap later today."

"Thank you," she smiled sweetly, the expression immediately lost when he slid into her slowly.

He was definitely in a much better mood.

* * *

_Kid does not like feeling emotions, except for anger, lust, and happiness (which he feels when he's fighting or fucking, so it really mixes with the other two emotions). He doesn't like worrying, and he really doesn't like feeling out of control or in the dark about anything. It makes him moody, which is the opposite of how he'd prefer to feel. Sex is how he conveys his emotions- it's a basic urge and drive for him, easier for him to understand what he's feeling. He can't get angry at Nami for what happened, so he tries to force his mood in the direction of lust to clear unwanted thoughts._

_Moody Kid is weird and kinda scary in its own way._

_Also he's being a dick and making it hard for me to end this the way I planned to... but we'll see if he does something to get it back on track eventually. He's just trying so damn hard and being so damn sweet and I did not expect that. I mean, one of you guys that reviewed the last chapter absolutely got it right about what he's feeling for Nami, and I'm so damn pleased to see that since it hasn't been said, so it means I'm showing his feelings as well as I hoped. And maybe I should say it's Nami's fault because she's clearly seeing the effort he's making._

_And don't worry, yes he will be meeting Luffy officially a few chapters from now._

_And last friendly reminder that I will be on a trip for about a week and a half starting next week, so do not expect an update for a minimum of two weeks, maybe a bit more depending on my schedule when I get back._


	20. Chapter 20

_Sorry for the extra long wait, but hopefully a quick, fluffy update will make up for that._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_Keeping Secrets_

For once, he was up long before Nami. It might be his fault she was still tired, curled up in his bed asleep well past noon. He was damn proud of that, too.

When he woke around one that afternoon, he wanted nothing more than to wrap Nami up against his chest and go back to sleep, but before he could, he found his mind riddled with the thoughts that had put him in such a bad mood before he came home. Staring at her face, relaxed in sleep, with that vivid bruise painting her eye and nose, there was no way he would find sleep again that day. For a fleeting moment he thought to distract himself, wake her to steal some much desired attention, but as his fingers ghosted over her cheek and he watched her smile, sighing wistfully at his touch, he just couldn't bring himself to disturb her.

Instead he dragged himself out of bed, dressed and attached his arm, and lumbered off to his workshop in the backyard. He needed to clear his head before she woke up.

He wasn't mad at her anymore, was never really mad at her to begin with. He was frustrated, though. Just as he had told her, she was in danger and he didn't know anything about it except for a few broad bits of information. He didn't really need to know anything else, he knew as much, but he didn't like it. Her relation to Arlong wasn't pertinent, but it would help him understand her better, understand just why these other fishmen were targeting her. He knew she had been in Arlong's gang, surmised that it wasn't of her own free will, but he didn't know how that came to be. It wouldn't change what he had planned for anyone who tried to hurt her again, knowing anything else would only be to satisfy that long standing need to know about her past, particularly the part that seemed to make her hesitant about dating him.

He knew she wouldn't tell him, and he understood. That was what left him so frustrated and upset, though he would never admit to the latter. Whatever happened to her was painful, he could plainly see as much when he'd catch that haunted look in her eye whenever that name was uttered. He was happy to hear her own friends had never even heard the whole story from her, and was then further elated when she told him she trusted him to protect her. He felt he could gloat forever after hearing that. So he dropped his selfish worries and let himself enjoy his beautiful girlfriend's presence.

Of course the thoughts came back in the form of a hollow weight in his chest. He didn't want her to get hurt again, and some part of him couldn't help but remember her friend's warning to him, that he would only bring her pain. That was what was really bothering him with the whole mess. The new fishmen gang running around was merely a trigger for it all, reminding Nami of some past she wished to forget, a past with a man who he apparently shared a few traits with.

She told him not to take it personally, but he did.

He couldn't push her to say anything, not when she would shoot him a cold glare that sent a shiver down his spine every time he brought it up, and even less when he'd catch her make such a broken expression he knew he couldn't handle any emotions that might come with her story. He didn't want to remind her of this monster from her past, he didn't want anything to remind her of whatever happened. By comparison, he seemed to be better than these thugs coming after her, as well as Arlong, but he needed to know just what to avoid… if it was even possible.

He was well aware that he was possessive, that he had an explosive temper, and a lot of pride to fuel both. No amount of nagging from Killer had changed that over the years, and he doubted Nami would change it, either. He might be able to gain some sort of control over it, but it was just who he was. Nami seemed to be adapting to it well enough, at least to the possessiveness. She wasn't complaining when he called her his girl, and he would never tire of her willingly calling him her boyfriend, laying her own claim on him, even if she didn't think that was why he loved having that label.

His temper he knew would probably be what hurt her more, even if he never directed the full brunt of it at her. While he'd never hurt her, he was hard pressed to control it with others, even more so if those others were a threat to her in some way. He might have downplayed just how much he scared the fishmen he talked to the night before. They were certainly scared when he left, but he also left them with a black eye and split lip, and one of them was missing a tooth now. He wished he could say they started it (they had given him a dirty look that didn't sit well with him, but that wasn't enough of a reason for Nami), that they were a part of the gang targeting Nami, but they weren't and no amount of bruises was likely to change their answers.

He couldn't tell her that, she'd only get mad at him for taking his anger out on innocent people again. He technically didn't lie; they had been scared, after all, and Nami wouldn't find out about it, so he saw no reason to tell her exactly what he did to them. He ignored the pestering voice whispering in his ear, sounding strangely like Killer, that told him she would find out and he'd be in even more trouble and that he was idiot to think otherwise.

Caught up in his thoughts and the work he was trying to busy himself with, he barely heard the door to his shop open and close softly. He twitched in mild surprise when soft hands brushed over his back and shoulders. As her chest pressed to his back and arms wound around him, he couldn't restrain his content smile. Relaxing back against her with a quiet grunt, he felt all his thoughts flee his mind with the chaste kiss she pressed to his jaw.

"You let me sleep." He could feel her smile as she spoke and leaned in to encourage her to kiss him more.

"You were too cute to wake up. Droolin' and snorin' like that, couldn't bring myself to ruin it." He chuckled at her exaggerated huff and tilted his head to grin at her.

"I do not drool or snore," she glared. "That's you."

He snorted and stole a quick peck from her lips. "If ya say so…" He snatched one more kiss. "You were definitely pretty cute, though."

She giggled, her arms squeezing around him while her lips pressed teasing kisses to his cheek as he turned back to his work. He loved it when she spoiled him with affection. "What are you working on?"

"Carburetor," he answered easily, attention split between her and the part. He was almost done with it, just attaching the throttle plate; he only had to install the inlet needle and a few pins, then a rubber gasket, and attach the fuel bowl.

"What's it for?" Her weight leaned against him as he sat on his stool, peering over his shoulder to inspect his work. He didn't mind at all.

"Somethin'," he answered cryptically, smirking when he heard her annoyed growl in response. He didn't want to tell her what he was building for himself, at least not yet. She'd probably tease him relentlessly if she knew he decided to take her idea, buy an old, used bike, and rebuild it for himself. It was hidden beneath a tarp at the back of his shop, and he'd prefer to keep her from seeing it until it was done.

"Keeping secrets from me already, I see," she hummed. Her teasing almost made him flinch when she unknowingly stumbled on one of the many thoughts on his mind. He was keeping things from her, but it was for her own good. The motorcycle he bought didn't count.

"It's a surprise," he grunted. "When it's done, I'll let ya see it."

"Oh?" Her voice sounded knowing, and he didn't like the way she lifted away from him to glance around the space. "Are you hiding something in here, then?"

"Tsh, nosy woman." He grumbled, dropping the unfinished part to reach for her wrist and tug her against his back. His head leaned to rest on her shoulder, and he leveled her with a glare. "Don't you dare go snooping around." She pouted at him. He should have expected that. "Tsh," he sneered half-heartedly and turned to pull her around him, forcing her to stand between his legs. Her damn pout never wavered, even as he leaned in to nip at the puffed out lip. "Stop that."

"Thought you liked it when I pouted?" She teased, only exaggerating the frown more.

He growled, nipped it again, and then stole a kiss. "That's the problem. Yer a distraction when ya give me that damn look."

She hummed with a seductive lilt, and he groaned as he tugged her in closer. She pulled herself against his chest and gave him that pout again. "Then I guess I should get out of your way." His lip curled up as he stared at her own lips. Damn tease. "Don't forget you're taking me back to my place to get my stuff tonight."

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled while leaning down for a few more kisses. "Once I finish this, I'll take a shower and we'll go."

"'Kay! Then," she began to pull herself from his hold with a happy smile, "I'll just go amuse myself…"

"Oh no ya don't," he growled, forcing back a grin as he grabbed her arm before she could escape and spun her in his hold, pressing her back to his chest and trapping her between himself and the workbench. "Ya ain't goin' anywhere now."

"Why not? I'm only in your way here."

He knew she was trying to pout at him again, but he forced his gaze onto the carburetor and set back to work. The moment his arms released her, she tried to duck out of his hold, but he immediately countered by wrapping his legs around hers.

"Yer gonna go snoop if I let ya go now."

"I'm not."

"You are."

She growled and tried to push him back. He wasn't budging, at least not enough to hinder him as he put a pin in place.

"One peek couldn't hurt."

"See? Knew you were gonna go lookin'." He chuckled and leaned his chin on her shoulder. "It ain't like it's somethin' for you, so just wait 'til I'm done with it and I'll show ya."

"If it's not for me, then why keep it a surprise?"

"'Cause I said so."

"You're just being stubborn."

"Yep."

"And mean."

He snorted.

"Jerk."

He hummed in agreement, smirk widening. She growled again and relaxed, utterly defeated in the face of his obstinacy.

"Wanna take a shower with me when I'm done?" He asked after a few minutes of working in silence.

"No." He could hear the continuing pout in her voice, and he tilted his head to kiss her shoulder.

"Ya ain't mad at me, so don't even try." He snorted when she pointedly crossed her arms with a huff. She was acting like a petulant brat. It was adorable, even more so considering how often she accused him of doing the same. "Gonna try punishing me with that shitty attitude 'til I cave?"

She huffed again and turned her head so he couldn't see her face when he dared to peek at her.

"Brat," he chuckled. She still refused to look at him, even after he gave up on his bike part to wrap an arm around her waist, hand teasing up her tank top. He held her steady, gaze glued to the side of her face he could see…

She shrieked loud enough to wake the dead when he bit her shoulder.

He laughed as she spun in his loosened hold to smack his chest. "That hurt!"

"Sorry," he said. He wasn't, and she knew it judging by the glare she gave him before shoving him. "Fine. One peek." He rolled his eyes at her. "But no makin' fun of me."

"Why would I make fun of you?" Her head cocked to the side, but he looked away grumbling incoherently under his breath as he stood and gently nudged her away. "Kid?" She prompted with a teasing lilt. He glanced down to see her batting her eyelashes. Damn her.

"'Cause I got the idea from you…" He explained while dragging her to the back corner of his shop.

He could see she was even more curious at that answer. She was absolutely going to tease him for this. With a deep breath, he grasped the corner of the cream colored tarp and pulled it back to expose the front end of his new motorcycle. It was a chopper with long, heavy framework, the seat set back far and the handlebars, a drag bar style, just in front of the gas tank, almost flush with it. It was the perfect length for his large build to stretch over it comfortably. It had a bulky back end with a wider wheel. He planned to go light with the body and decoration, expose more of the engine he was piecing together himself. He was still undecided on the paint, but he was thinking black with a subtle crimson pattern. It'd look badass and beastly, even without a ton of color and design. The engine he was building alone was going to see to that.

And the only accessory he had planned for it was a drop dead gorgeous ginger perched behind him everywhere he went. There was nothing he could put on that bike to outshine Nami, as far as he was concerned.

"You bought a motorcycle?" She asked, astonished. She was too surprised to make fun of him, but he refused to look proud. The teasing was coming, there was no way he'd get out of that.

"Yeah," he grunted, watching as she moved closer to take a better look. Pride began to war with his restraint as she reached a tentative hand to run over the unpainted fuel tank. She almost looked impressed.

"Because of my bike?" Her lips were quirking up in a knowing smile. His embarrassment won out over his pride.

"Yeah," he muttered again, arms crossed and head turned away.

She giggled.

"Oi! Don't make fun of me!" He turned to shout at her, only prompting her to laugh outright.

"I'm not!" She yelled back, failing to muffle her amusement. "It's cute!"

"It is not cute!"

"Well, not the bike, but you are." He glared as she grinned at him. He swore he wasn't blushing, no matter how warm his cheeks felt, he was absolutely not blushing. "I'm serious, Kid," she laughed again and went back to inspecting the bike, crouching down to peek beneath the rest of the tarp to see the back end. He couldn't bring himself to stop her from looking more, not with the reaction she had. "I'm not really surprised, especially after how excited you got when you saw my bike. I think it's great you got one to work on yourself." She sent him another beaming smile as she stood to saunter back over to him. "I can't wait to see it when it's done."

He grumbled under his breath while she tugged at his arms, forcing him to open them. He did, grudgingly, and let her wrap her own arms around his waist. He slanted his eyes down to her when she leaned into him, chin pressed to his chest as she looked up with that wide smile. "I get the first ride with you, right?"

"'Course," he smirked, relaxing into her as he wound his arms around her. "Any chance I can get ya to let me take some pictures of ya with it like in the magazines and shit… wearin' a bikini… or less."

Her smile fell away. "No."

"Tsh, stingy." He laughed and shrunk away playfully as a stiff finger prodded between a few ribs in punishment. "I'm kidding… though if ya ever change yer mind…" She jammed her finger even harder into him and he relented with a forced frown. She said he was cute when he sulked, though he swore he never did, so he tried to adopt as similar an expression as he could. "Fine, no sexy pictures of my pretty girlfriend." He frowned more when he saw her annoyance waver for a second, but then they steeled again and she poked his ribs one last time. He couldn't stop himself from cracking a smile. "I get it. I wouldn't want 'em to fall into the wrong hands anyway." He leaned down to kiss her temple, hiding his smirk. "Things like that are for my eyes only."

"I'll think about it," she huffed. "But it'll cost you."

Kid hummed as he pressed another kiss to her cheek. "I'll take that deal, Kitten." Her growl was muffled by a hard kiss. When he pulled away, he grinned at her subtly annoyed glare. "You can have all the sexy pictures ya want of me in exchange."

She rolled her eyes, but he saw a hint of a smile as she turned her face away. As it spread into a smirk, her gaze slanted back up to him, mischievous and alluring, and he would have taken her right there on the concrete floor if it weren't for what she said next. "I'd rather have pictures of you blushing like you were a minute ago."

"I wasn't blushing!" He shouted, his face heating up to her shrieks of laughter. "That's it," he growled and scooped her up to toss over his shoulder. She cried out and smacked at his back, the gesture playful. "I warned ya not to make fun of me, Nami."

"Kid! Put me down!" She continued to laugh as he made his way back to his work bench. He was glad she couldn't see his grin when her hand managed to slap his ass. She should have known better than to do that, it was only going to rile him up more.

He schooled his expression to look annoyed again, and dropped her onto the top of his workbench.

"What are you doing?" She asked, a little more frantic as he made sure to grasp her wrists together with one hand while the other opened a draw to fish around. When he found what he wanted, her eyes went wide and she really tried to pull away. "Kid!"

He wasn't bothering to hide his grin as he looped the zip-tie around her wrists and pulled it just tight enough to keep her from slipping out. "Don't worry, I'll take it off if it starts hurtin' ya, but first I gotta teach ya a lesson 'bout laughin' at me."

Before she had a chance to argue, he had her arms draped around his head and his lips slammed to hers.

He had a feeling they wouldn't be making it to her place that night.

_Oh well._

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ I have decided that Kid probably blushes very easily, entirely against his will. He's just so pale complexioned, he probably turns red for no reason (I can sympathize quite strongly). I now need him to meet Nami again in canon and have her inevitably say something to make him blush. Honestly, I've needed Nami to tell Law that he's cute, just to see him getting awkwardly flustered like Vegeta did when Bulma said he was kind of cute... But even more, I need her to say Kid's kind of cute, because holy fucking shit, the reaction- and not just Kid's. Between his crew laughing (or trying not to, except for Killer who can laugh at him and not get hurt), her own crew laughing (except for Sanji who'll explode), and then probably Law will legitimately think she's sick and then panic poor Chopper (and make everyone else laugh harder as the two doctors try to diagnose her)- it is just something I need to see happen but I know won't._

_Anyway, enough of my deluded headcanons and imaginings- for those not following my tumblr, I've had some writer's block since my trip which is part of what's delayed this chapter. This was actually the easiest thing for me to write considering I managed to write it all yesterday (as short as it is). Lately, at best, I've only been managing to write a thousand words over the span of a day or two, and with a great deal of frustration, but I think a large part of that is because writing Nami's backstory for Bloodstains is just very trying and also it's very long. Those of you following that fic- it'll still be some time before that chapter is done. I can't give an estimate, it all depends on if my head will agree with me long enough to push myself through it. In the meantime, don't be surprised if I manage to get more done with this fic, or the odd one shot here and there on tumblr- blatantly shippy stuff is easier and keeps my mood from sinking when I can't manage anything else._


	21. Chapter 21

_This chapter goes from 'oh the joys of living with a guy' to 'okay can we go back to the joys of living with a guy?'. So yeah, enjoy the emotional roller coaster. :)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_The Importance of a Place to Call Home_

"You did that on purpose," she accused Kid's reflection in the mirror, emphasizing it with an elbow into his stomach as she brushed through a stubborn knot in her hair.

He grunted at the strike and glared back at her reflection. "Did not," he muttered around a toothbrush and mouth full of toothpaste.

They never made it to her apartment after Kid saw fit to tie her up in his workshop. At the time, she couldn't really complain, save for a few sore spots on her wrist where the ties dug into her skin before he mercifully took them off with a mumbled remark about buying fuzzy handcuffs next time. She had thoroughly enjoyed the punishment she received for teasing him, as ill-timed as it was.

But now it was the next day, and she had to go to school without most of her things, and she was more than a little annoyed with him. Having to fight for space in his bathroom as he got ready to go to work, only made it worse.

"You said you would take me to pick up my stuff," she huffed, shoving him aside to get her toothbrush out.

"And I planned to," he mumbled again, then pushed her out of the way to spit in the sink. He wiped his mouth with a black hand towel hanging to the right, and then turned to her with a renewed glare. "Your fault I got distracted."

"How is it my fault!?" She attempted to shriek while brushing her teeth.

"'Cause it is," he argued.

She rolled her eyes and dismissed him, seeing no point in arguing any further. She wouldn't win, something he proved when he stepped behind her and leaned down to smack a kiss against her cheek.

"Can't argue that, huh, Kitten?" She tried to glare at his gloating smirk, but he gave her another kiss and whispered in her ear. "It's 'cause yer too pretty."

She elbowed him for flustering her with the unexpected compliment; she had nearly choked on her toothpaste because of it. He threw his head back and cackled while stepping over to the toilet.

"Now I gotta piss, so get the fuck out," he grunted.

"I'm still getting ready! At least wait a minute for me to finish brushing!" She shouted after hurriedly spitting out her toothpaste.

"I ain't waitin'," he said while pulling down his zipper. "If ya don't leave, I'll just go with you in here. I don't give a shit either way, just tryin' to be considerate."

"That isn't being considerate, you ass!" She yelled while storming out of the bathroom. She slammed the door just before he started going. "This is why I don't live with guys anymore," she huffed.

"Well get used to it!" He hollered back.

Another roll of her eyes, and she stomped toward his bedroom to grab the bag he packed her things in. After a lengthy argument, she agreed to have him drop her off at school that day, and then pick her up later to take her over to her apartment for the rest of her things. It was a reasonable compromise compared to what he originally wanted her to do, which was check in with him between each of her classes, and maybe send one of his friends to campus to follow her around all day. He was overreacting at this point. As much as the attack shook her, she didn't think she needed an escort on campus all the time. She wasn't completely helpless. She did at least agree to text him over her lunch break, just to keep him from worrying all day.

"Ya ready to go yet?" Kid asked when he came back into the bedroom, tugging on his chest holster over a light blue button down shirt. He slipped a black vest over it to conceal his gun.

"Yeah," she answered with huff. She swung her backpack on and shot him a glare over her shoulder. "No thanks to you."

"Tsh," he sneered. He grasped her hair and pulled, the move gentle, just enough to force her head to tilt back to see him frowning down at her. "What was that, Kitten? If I didn't have t' get outta here too, I'd make ya take longer gettin' ready, so don't bitch at me fer kickin' ya out of the bathroom." Her eyes narrowed on him and he gave another tug to her hair. "Now come on. I need coffee before work, and ya don't want to be late."

"You're buying me a latte to make up for last night."

His surly look vanished with a smirk. "Heh, that's all it'll take? Yer goin' soft." He released her hair as he leaned in for a hard peck on her cheek. "Or maybe it's 'cause ya ain't that mad." When he pulled away, he turned her toward the door and gave a swat to her backside. "If ya got all your shit, then let's go."

"Stop being pushy," she snapped with a glare.

"I ain't," he grunted back as he proceeded to push her forward. Her brow rose, and he snatched her extra bag from her hand with a huff and waved her off. "Just go."

Another roll of her eyes, but she headed upstairs with him trailing behind her, shutting off lights along the way. When they got to the den, they found Killer eating breakfast on the couch, turning an exhausted look their way.

"Are you two going to fight every morning?" He grumbled around a mouthful of shredded, fried potatoes.

"Probably," Kid chuckled. Nami found herself agreeing, despite how annoying it was.

Killer sighed and went back to his breakfast without another word. She pitied him, but at the same time, he was probably expecting that answer.

Kid ushered her out to his car, still impatient and agitated. He was unhappy about their compromise, she knew as much, but he just had to trust that she could take care of herself. Even if there was a chance the fishmen gang would attempt to attack her again, she was honestly more worried about dealing with the school's security staff. If they realized those fishmen had been struck by a large amount of lightning, her professor would likely hear about it and question her. She would play dumb and hope the fishmen hadn't said anything when they came to; they would have a hard time explaining what they had done to prompt her to use that weapon. At least she knew people that might be willing to pull some strings to keep her out of trouble.

They stopped at the café near Nami's apartment on the way to campus. She didn't miss the way Kid glanced around, searching for anyone suspicious. Even as she rolled her eyes at his over-protectiveness, she settled against his side when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and practically glued himself to her until they were leaving. It was both annoying and cute at the same time.

"Don't forget to text me when ya have that break," Kid ordered as he pulled up in front of her first class' building.

Her eyes were going to start hurting from how much she was rolling them.

"I won't," she said with an exasperated huff.

"What time are ya done again?" He asked, ignoring her irritation.

"My last class is done at four," she answered as she reached for the handle to climb out. "But then I'm meeting a few classmates to study for an exam next week. I told them I have to leave by seven."

"You guys meetin' in the library?"

"That's the plan. If we decide to go to the commons for something to eat near the end, though, I'll let you know."

"Good," he grumbled, and grabbed her arm before she could slide out. He tugged her across the center console when she turned to him, and gave her a quick kiss. She couldn't hold back her smile as she leaned in for one more, hoping to reassure him. It worked well enough. He released her and gestured that she was free to go. "I'll meet ya wherever yer at tonight to walk with you."

"Are you going to hold my books like boyfriends are supposed to?" She teased as she glanced at his left hand, balled up into a strained fist in his lap. If it were a real hand, she imagined his knuckles would be white from the tension. She was happy to see it loosen slightly with a sigh.

"You can carry yer own damn books," he snorted, but the glint in his eye and that cocky smirk told her that he'd probably carry whatever she asked him to, and not because of some antiquated idea of chivalry.

She stuck out her tongue and slid out of the car. "Later, Kid."

"See ya, Kitten."

She took one last look at his wide grin as she shut the door and sent him a wave before turning toward the building.

"Yoohoo! Nami-chan!" She barely got a few steps from Kid's car before she heard Professor Haredas calling out to her from the steps. "I need to talk to you a moment."

Her back went rigid and she found herself glancing toward Kid as he waited in his car. He wasn't about to leave until she was safely inside, and when he caught her look, his brow raised in confusion. Haredas was pretty easy to manipulate, and Kid being there might be to her advantage.

"Professor!" She forced herself to smile at him. She heard the window lowering on Kid's car behind her, and subtly peeked to see him leaning over into the passenger seat to see what had her so bothered. "What is it?"

"It's about an incident that happened the other night that has campus police a bit baffled." He explained as he hurried over to her. She caught him glancing around her at the car and the man inside. She imagined Kid was glaring at the old man judging by how quickly he turned his attention back to her, a tremble in his hands that wasn't there before.

"What happened?" She cocked her head to the side, batted her eyelashes sweetly, and looked utterly confused. She was pretty sure she heard Kid stifle a snort of amusement in the car, but she ignored him.

"Some fishmen were found unconscious outside the main weather sciences building shortly after the lab section was released. They were taken to the hospital, and the doctors swore they had been struck by lightning, but there had been no storms at the time they were found."

She gasped dramatically. "That's terrible. Are they alright?"

"I imagine they were since they vanished before anyone could question them."

"Well that's good they weren't seriously injured," she forced herself to sigh in relief. She could hear Kid's low growl; he wasn't happy to hear that.

"Yes, that is, but I was wondering if you might know anything."

"Me?" She leaned forward subtly, pointing at herself with an innocent expression. "I don't think so. I do remember hearing some thunder when I was leaving, but…"

"Nami-chan," he cut her off with a look that said he wasn't quite buying it. "You left with your prototype, didn't you?"

"I did…" She sulked.

"Did you use it on those men?"

She heard Kid's car door shut, and the way Haredas suddenly glanced up with a look of surprise told her he was making his way over to her. She kept her attention on her professor, quivering her lip dramatically and sniffling to draw his gaze back to her. He balked at the tears that brimmed her eyes.

"I'm sorry. They came out of nowhere and attacked me." She angled her head so he could see the bruising on her cheek and nose clearly as evidence. "I didn't know what else to do."

"Why didn't you stay and give a statement?" He asked, glancing back at the imposing figure behind her, and then back to her with even more worry etched on his face. "If they attacked you…"

"I was really scared. I didn't want to get in trouble and hurt the department." She sniffled again, feeling her cheeks heat with false emotion. "I was just lucky my boyfriend's roommate picked me up that night. There was another one that he chased away." She sniffled again as Kid took the cue to wrap an arm around her shoulder. "I was even too scared to come to school yesterday, and I asked my boyfriend to bring me today just in case."

Haredas stammered for a moment, attention darting between Nami as she seemed to be breaking down into tears, and the growling and irritated man holding her protectively. "It's… It's okay, Nami-chan…" He forced a smile when she looked at him sullenly, lip quivering as if holding back her sobs. "I understand."

"I'm not in trouble…" She sniffled again, and leaned forward more, tugging uncomfortably at her tank top to distract him further. "Am I?"

"No… No…" She caught him blush suddenly. Kid noticed, too, and his hand tightened over her shoulder as he growled. Haredas jumped at the sound and balked at what she guessed was Kid's heated glare. "Just try not to use that weapon again. We don't want any more questions with the department."

"I promise," she nodded with another sniffle and wiped at her eyes to clear the tears. "You won't say anything to the police, either?"

"No, I'll tell them it was a strike out of the blue. Just very unlucky timing for those men." He reassured and she could have grinned in victory if she didn't have to keep up the act.

She nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Professor. And um… Can I have a minute with my boyfriend?" She rubbed her right eye and gave a struggled smile. "I might be a few minutes late now."

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry to upset you. Take all the time you need." His smile wavered when he looked up at Kid again, and he didn't waste a second turning to head back inside. She sent him a short wave as Kid turned her toward him, pretending to console her just as she hoped he would.

She buried her face against Kid's chest as she sighed in relief. "Has he gone back in yet?"

"Yeah," Kid muttered, "it's clear now." She tilted her face up to look at him with a bright smile, and he snorted in amusement at the abrupt change. "You really played that up."

"I didn't want him asking too many questions." She shrugged and giggled. "I probably didn't need to use the scary boyfriend angle as much with him, but it helped keep him too on edge to think any more. He's seen me use fake tears enough times in the past that there's a chance he might start realizing that they're not real."

He chuckled, arms wrapping her up tight against him. "Glad I got some other uses for ya, Kitten. Though seriously, those tears looked too real. If I hadn't known better, I might have thought you were actually cryin'. Kinda freaked me out at first."

"Aww, can't handle seeing me upset?" She reached around his neck to pull him down for a peck.

"Nope," he mumbled against her lips, snatching another short kiss. "Hope I never have t' see the real thing."

"Me too," she said quietly before he kissed her again. When his tongue traced lightly over her lips, she forced him back to stop him from going further. "Not now, Kid. I have class."

"You heard what he said," he grinned, kissing below her ear on the spot he knew made her weak. "You can have all the time ya need. And what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't comfort you properly?"

"Kid." She smacked his shoulder and pushed him back to glare. "You have to go to work."

"So? I can be a few minutes late."

"No." She said flatly, finger pointing out in warning.

"Fine," he huffed, relenting with a roll of his eyes. "Next time."

She laughed at the thought of there being a next time. "Just go to work," she said, pushing free of his hold.

"Yeah, yeah." He leaned down for one last peck and nudged her toward the school. "Later, Kitten."

She waved over her shoulder and finally made it into the building. She glanced out the window as she walked toward the stairs to her classroom to see Kid only then start walking back to his car. He really had waited for her to get inside.

He was being paranoid, yet still she smiled at the flutter it brought to her chest.

Who knew a man like him could ever care about someone so much?

* * *

Her first half of the day went by smoothly. As she walked between classes, she felt safe among the masses of students traveling the campus, though her guard was up the whole time. There were fishmen that went to her school, but she knew none of them belonged to any of the district gangs she needed to worry about. Even knowing that, she still felt on edge every time she saw one, and then felt guilty thinking the worst about innocent people.

At lunch, while making her way toward Robin's office, she sent off her quick text message to Kid, just as promised. Tucking her phone away when she entered the liberal arts building, she turned down the hall holding the history and archeology offices. She had only managed to tell her friends about the broken window at her apartment two days before, but since the attack she couldn't bring herself to call them, nor did she have much time with Kid dominating most of her attention afterward. Her friends hadn't been happy to hear about the first threat, but they grudgingly held onto some calm when she said Kid took care of it and that she was staying with him until the fishmen gang was dealt with.

They were going to absolutely flip when they heard she was attacked on campus, though, and there was no way she would be able to keep them calm after. It was a miracle Kid didn't go on a rampage. If he wanted to, though, he'd have plenty of company with Luffy and the others tagging along.

Breaking the news of the attack would be easier, she hoped, if she told Robin first. She wouldn't act rashly, and she might be able to gather some information to make sure their friends go about dealing with this gang in a relatively collected manner, or at least had a broad plan to keep to…. A plan Luffy would never follow, no matter how much she pleaded.

A deep breath in, that she released it in a rush, mentally preparing herself for Robin's reaction. She stopped at her office, found the door ajar, and knocked lightly as she stepped in.

"Robin?" She called out around packed bookcases and displays housing ancient artifacts Robin had found over the years.

"Nami?" A smooth voice called out before a head popped up from behind a mountain of texts. Robin smiled easily for a moment, then her eyes widened and she was out of her chair. "What happened to you?"

Nami found her face cupped in cool palms the next minute, Robin's gaze sweeping over her, inspecting the bruising with the closest thing to a mother's eye that Nami had seen in a long time. She had been wearing reading glasses, but she pulled them off to hang from a chain around her neck so she could see her face clearly.

"The other day, after someone threw a rock in my window," she began with a heavy sigh, "five fishmen jumped me."

Robin's eyes were even wider, and she rushed to explain the whole event in detail. Her friend released her face as she went to carefully lean against the edge of a desk, frowning through the entire story.

"I'm glad Eustass-san had the foresight to send his friend to pick you up, Nami. But, why didn't you call afterward?"

"I forgot," she shrugged, "and I didn't want to worry you guys. It was hard enough keeping Kid calm."

Robin managed a quiet chuckle. "From what I've seen of him, I can imagine that _was_ quite a task."

"He insisted on bringing me to school today, and he's picking me up tonight. He wanted to have one of his friends follow me around campus all day, though." Nami sighed as she slumped into a nearby chair that wasn't covered in books.

Robin laughed again. "Well, you should be used to that level of protectiveness. If you had called, you would have had Sanji escorting you all day." Nami groaned at the thought. She didn't need a babysitter. "But I'm glad he's watching out for you. I assume you haven't told any of the others?"

"Not yet. I was hoping you might help me with that." Her eyes were pleading as she looked at her friend, she really didn't want to face the guys alone with that news.

"Of course." She smiled. "Shall we grab some lunch, and we'll come back here to use my office phone for a conference call with them?"

"That'd be perfect," she beamed, jumping from the chair. She was famished, and lunch with Robin would be a pleasant break from everything happening around her.

As she turned to lead the way to the door, her cell phone rang. Humming curiously, she pulled it out to see that Kid was calling her rather than texting her back. She wasn't surprised, he seemed to prefer speaking with her if he could.

She sent Robin an apologetic smile and held up the display for her to see it was a call she couldn't ignore, and quickly answered before it cut to voicemail.

"Hey," she answered as she and Robin headed down the hallway and back outside.

"How was class?" Kid asked, his voice a low hush. He must have snuck away from work to call her and was trying not to get caught.

"It was fine," she responded with a sigh.

"Nothing happen?"

"No, Kid." Her tone was more exasperated. He really was paranoid. "And I'm about to have lunch with Robin," she added, hoping that information eased his worries. It was a reminder that she wasn't alone on campus, she had a friend there to keep an eye on her.

He grunted in what she imagined was approval. "You tell your other friends about what happened yet?"

"No, Robin and I are going to call them all after we eat." She paused to send Robin a knowing smile. "I'll see if we can keep them from suddenly inviting themselves over to your house, but I can't make any promises."

"Tsh," he huffed. "Guess I should expect as much. I'd do the same damn thing if I were in their shoes."

"You pretty much did, only you stormed into your own house to see me," she giggled.

He chuckled quietly on his end. "Alright, if it'll keep 'em from barging into my place, I got the weekend off. Tell 'em we can meet up at Shakky's on Saturday to figure this shit out."

"You're actually willing to sit down with my friends to talk about this?" Her brow rose and she shared a look with Robin. The older woman stifled a chuckle.

"Yeah, well we got a common enemy…"

"You sound like you're going to war," she interrupted, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Close enough," he huffed. "They know more 'bout these guys than I do, so I ain't against workin' with 'em. Whatever keeps ya safe, Kitten."

She turned her face away from Robin to hide her smile, but her friend caught it and snickered beside her.

"I could probably take 'em out on my own, though." He added, her smile vanishing with a groan.

"I'd rather you didn't," she said flatly. "I swear, all you guys are ready to run straight into a fight the first chance you get."

"Hey, I said I would sit down and strategize first," he shouted. "I'm just sayin' I could deal with it by myself if I had to."

"Of course you could," she remarked sarcastically. "Anyway, I have to go get lunch now."

"Alright, I'll let ya go. Still set for seven tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll let you know where to meet me."

"Later then, Kitten."

She hung up after her own quick good bye and turned to see Robin looking at her with an amused smile. "What?" She asked while pulling open the door to the commons building.

"I'm just glad to see things are going well between you two. And it's rather cute how you interact with him."

Nami huffed, and turned to face forward. "I don't see what's cute about it," she muttered, though she could admit there were plenty of things Kid tended to do and say to her that were very cute and charming, unexpectedly so.

Robin merely chuckled and nudged her with an elbow. "If the boys are okay meeting on Saturday, won't this be the first time Eustass-san meets Luffy and the others?"

"He's met Zoro and Hachi… sort of," she frowned. "But yeah, outside of that night two years ago, it'll be their first time meeting."

The older woman snickered under her breath, Nami glancing out of the corner of her eye with a curious look. "I look forward to seeing how they all get along."

"Something about that look tells me I should be worried," Nami frowned. Robin looked far too entertained with the idea, which surely meant trouble might brew.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Her reassurance fell short, and Nami slumped over with a drawn out groan. She was going to have an exhausting weekend, she was sure of it.

* * *

By six-thirty that night, Nami was glad her day was almost done. She nearly missed her first class after lunch, too busy reassuring her friends over the phone. Luffy was ready to storm Fishmen District to find whoever hurt her, Zoro and Sanji happily agreeing, though the third was just as ready to come flying to her school to escort her the rest of the day. Franky and Usopp were unhappy, but fortunately kept calm. Franky was the one who thought to ask about how Kid took the whole thing. Kid's reaction and the measures he took to keep her safe earned some approval from the other guys, though Sanji wasn't pleased Kid hadn't been more adamant about sending her with a bodyguard. Zoro reminded that she could take care of herself, and that if she was ever uncertain, she would say something, and then proceeded to lecture her for not saying something sooner.

Kid's idea to meet at Shakky's was also taken well, the guys readily agreeing. That calmed them completely.

As they began to say their goodbyes, Franky mentioned he would call Jinbei, while Usopp volunteered to call Hachi. They would need to know about what was happening, after all. If anyone might have a chance to quell further violence against them, it was Jinbei, though from what Hachi had told her, she doubted the man had any sway with the gang.

All Nami could do was hope things would blow over, that someone would get the gang under control. The police were rarely of any help, and the fishmen's government leaders could only do so much against a violent group without creating internal conflict; she would have better luck relying on rival groups to take this new gang out.

With her mind clogged with worries, it had been a struggle to pay attention through the rest of her classes. She managed well enough, but as she sat in the commons that night, studying with classmates, she couldn't keep her thoughts focused. Arlong was in prison, and all her troubles should have been gone with him. She knew psychologically she might never heal from what she endured with him, just hearing his name triggered terrible memories, but she had hoped she might be able to move on and live a normal life again.

Her classmates were chatting around her, asking and answering questions about blackbody radiation, but she was oblivious, eyes staring blankly at the book in front of her. She wasn't brought out of her thoughtful stupor until she felt a weight on her head, pressing her down with a rumbling chuckle she recognized instantly. She hadn't realized until that moment just how much of a comfort he had become to her as she found all her anxiety wash away.

"Ya don't look like yer studyin' too hard there, Kitten," he chuckled, arms crossed atop her head as he leaned over her. She giggled, an easy smile blooming, and forced him to pull away so she could tilt her head back. Kid's red-brown eyes shone with amusement as he smirked at her. "Happy t' see me?"

"Actually, I am," she answered honestly. If he was shocked, he hid it well with his growing smile before he leaned over for a quick peck. "You're early," she commented.

"Yeah. Guy pulled a knife on me at work," he explained as he pulled up a chair to sit next to her. She frowned, eyes sweeping over him to look for an injury. "I'm fine," he chuckled when he noticed the concern. "He just slashed my shirt up, and grazed my arm." He pushed back the sleeve of his burgundy hoodie and held up his bandaged right forearm, a few spots of red staining the gauze. She stared disapprovingly at the wound for a moment, but shook off her worry easily enough. One cut wouldn't kill him, after all. "After getting patched up, I took off to change and figured ya wouldn't mind if I came to meet ya early."

"You're right, I don't mind," she agreed with a sigh. She turned to shut her book and saw her classmates staring at them with wide eyes, a few of the guys' mouths were open in shock as they looked between her and Kid. Right, she forgot they were there. "Ah, sorry guys, but I think I need to call it a night here."

"Ya sure, Kitten?" Kid spoke up, brow furrowed as he crossed his arms over the table and leaned forward. "Ya don't have to leave just 'cause I got here early."

She shook her head and gave him a tired smile. "It's fine. I wasn't able to do much studying, anyway."

He stared thoughtfully for a moment, lips set in a stoic frown. He gave her a short nod and pushed out of his chair without a word, watching as she tucked her textbook and notes into her bag. As she turned to wave goodnight to her classmates, she was surprised to feel Kid pulling her backpack from her hold to sling over his left shoulder. She glanced up, but he wasn't looking at her as he stepped toward the door. She smiled at his back and skipped to catch up.

"I thought you said I could carry my own books?" She teased, nudging against his arm.

"Yeah, well…" He trailed as he wrapped his right arm around her and tucked her against his side. "Ya look tired."

She hummed, her head leaning against him as she stared forward. "Just a lot on my mind."

His grip tightened around her shoulder, and she smiled with ease as she wound her arm around his waist. It was getting chilly outside as the sun fell along the horizon, and she was happy to leech some warmth from him as they walked to his car.

"You talk with your friends?" He asked with his thumb brushing over her shoulder.

"Mhm, they liked your idea about meeting on Saturday. I think your house is safe for the time being." She sank closer as his warm chuckle eased her mind. When had he become a source of comfort? He caused her nothing but stress for so long, she couldn't believe he now brought her the opposite. She wondered if he was even aware of the difference himself. She glanced up at him. "Can we stop somewhere for dinner before going to my place?"

"You didn't eat while you were studying?" He looked down, brow cocked as she shook her head. He let out a sigh, his arm squeezing her. "Alright, we can make a quick stop."

At the car, Kid tossed her bag into the backseat while she climbed in the front. She caught him looking around like he had earlier, his guard not dropping for second, before getting in the car. They agreed to get dinner at a nearby sandwich shop. The entire time they ate, Kid asked about her day, details about each class she took, not so subtly trying to get her to confess to anything being out of the ordinary. She kicked him under the table when he asked her about the fishmen that went to her college more specifically, and after a few minutes of silently glaring at each other, he gave up on the topic. She didn't want him suspecting everyone just because of their race, it was only going to create more trouble.

When they reached her apartment building, Nami found herself frowning up at the place that should be safe, should be her home. It seemed strange returning there, even though it had only been a couple of days she spent away from it. The fact there could be any number of dangers lurking there made the place feel unfamiliar, no longer her home, though she desperately wanted it to be again. As welcome as she was at Kid's home, it would never be the same to her.

His bed wasn't as soft and cozy as hers. He didn't have her favorite brand of tea stocked in his kitchen. His room was dark all day long. His bathroom didn't have a tub for her to soak in. If she wanted a bath, she would have to borrow Killer's bathroom and she found that too awkward and imposing, even if she knew the blond wouldn't have a problem with it. The only thing she had in the house that made her feel remotely at home was the small bowl of tangerines that sat on the kitchen counter. Kid had added them to Killer's last grocery list knowing that she would like to have them around, and if she wasn't there to eat them, he would.

She appreciated the thought more than he knew, but it still wasn't enough to make her feel entirely at home there.

"You okay?" Kid grunted as he came around to her side, her empty overnight bag in hand. He wore a worried frown, the same as he had since they left campus earlier. He always seemed to pick up on her mood, especially when it wasn't good.

"Yeah," she sighed. She forced an easygoing smile and slipped her arm around his. "Let's go."

His frown merely deepened, but he didn't push it and pulled her along with a grunt.

She hadn't noticed anything amiss as they walked upstairs and along the corridor, not until she felt Kid's arm stiffen. A growl rumbled in his chest, and he pushed her behind him, shoving the bag at her as he reached inside his hoodie for his gun. When her eyes landed on her door to see the frame splintered and warped, the door ajar, she found herself relieved Kid had come with her, and thought to come armed.

He kept against the wall beside the door, listening intently for any sound within. After a minute, he turned, gun ready, and kicked the door open. If she wasn't so anxious, she might have thought he'd watched one too many cop shows with that move.

"Shit…" He breathed out, eyes wide, and she crept closer to peek inside.

Her mouth fell open, she couldn't breathe, couldn't speak. It would never be her home again.

Her hands shook at her sides as she slowly followed him in, gaze sweeping over the living room to take in the damage. Kid moved off to check the rest of the place as she came to a stop, frozen in place in the middle of her ruined apartment.

The walls were painted red with curses calling her a traitorous whore and Arlong's witch. The words didn't bother her, but the hastily painted tribal shark that Arlong used made her blood run cold, the added mark the new gang was using only intensified the feeling.

The couch was torn to shreds, the coffee table shattered as if someone took an ax to it. Her television was gone- apparently they decided to loot her place while trashing it. The lamp on the table was broken beyond repair. A glance at the kitchen showed the cabinet doors wide open, glass and ceramic littered the floor and countertops. So much would have to be replaced, the cost was going to eat up her savings, but that was what she worried about least.

There was a shelf she kept pictures of her friends and family on in the living room. It was pushed over, all the pictures thrown to the ground and stomped on. She carefully made her way over, still shaking as she crouched to flip over the broken and shattered frames. Her eyes burned with each one she saw destroyed. A picture of her, Luffy, and Zoro was slashed apart. A photo with Franky and Robin was ripped and crumpled. Sanji and Usopp were cut up, too. The pictures she had of Nojiko and Genzo forced a shaky breath out of her at the graphic detail they were cut up.

She fell to her knees and clasped a hand over her mouth to hold back whatever noise she might make as a trembling hand reached for the last one, lying face down in the middle of broken glass. There was a hole in it, so clean she knew it could only have come from a bullet. Bile rose in her gut when she flipped it over, but she swallowed it down with a sob as she ran a finger over the spot her mother's face had once been. She felt the sharp edges of the glass slice into the tip of her finger, but she didn't care, too focused on the blood suddenly streaking over the photo.

"They at least left your room in mostly one…" Kid began as he returned to the living room, but stopped abruptly when he saw her. She couldn't look at him, she had honestly forgotten he was there, and now she struggled to reign in her emotions before he could see. It was too late, she knew as much, and in a heartbeat he was in crouched in front of her, boots crunching over broken glass. He snatched her hand away from the picture. "Oi, stop that… Tsh… idiot, look what you did…" he grumbled before her cut finger was unceremoniously stuck in his mouth.

She could feel his eyes on her as he vainly tried to seal the small wound. She shook her head, a strangled sob escaping. Her shoulders slumped forward and she struggled to take deep breaths, to hold back the tears burning her eyes. It didn't work, she knew it wouldn't.

"Oi…" he prompted softly, pulling her finger from his mouth as he tried to tug her forward.

She sat there stubbornly and choked back another sob. "He shot her…"

Kid hummed, confused. "It's just a picture…"

Her head shook side to side again. "No…. Arlong…." She heard him suck in a breath and his grip on her hand tightened. "When I was ten… He shot her…" Her voice went high as emotions overcame her. "He murdered my mother right in front of me and stole me for his gang."

Her heart ached enough, but as Kid dropped her hand and stood up abruptly, she thought it would break entirely. Her eyes shut tight with another sob when he reached down to snatch the picture away, and she listened to him stomp off with it. She cringed at the sound of the glass breaking more as he slammed the frame down somewhere, and she instinctively shriveled up as his angry steps came back to her. If he noticed her fear, he didn't say anything as he dropped to his knees in front of her.

He stayed silent as he yanked his hoodie off, and her eyes shot open when she felt him wrap it around her shoulders. Blinking through her tears, she saw his annoyed glower as he seemed to be staring at her forehead, or a point just over it, unwilling to look at her closely. He pulled the hood of the sweatshirt up over her head, and that was when he spared a moment to meet her gaze. His lip twisted in a sneer and the next instant his hand was at the back of her head, dragging her against his chest.

Surprised, she forgot to breathe as she stared at the loose black shirt obscuring her view of the room around her. His hoodie only further enshrouded her in darkness, blocking out the periphery. She could hear his heart thundering in his chest as his arm wrapped around her shoulder and squeezed her tight. She could smell the warm spice of his cologne mixed with a lingering scent of metal and sweat that invariably belonged to him. The jacket was warm, and the fur lining was soft on her skin. Her hands reached to dig into his shirt and she sank against him. He filled up her whole world as another sob tore through her, his grip only grew as her shoulders trembled with her grief.

She just wanted to go home.

* * *

_A/N: Ahahaha, let's just destroy poor Nami's fragile psyche. I shouldn't be so mean to her, but for her to open up to Kid, she needed a massive trigger to make the conversation unavoidable._

_Also yes, Law is screaming in my head about Kid's idea of first aid. He's ranting about how he needs to get his diseased spit away from her bloodstream and that he's going to give her an infection, then yelling 'antiseptic' over and over again. It's amusing, to say the least._

_Anyway, I have been having a lot of Kid feels lately (and the last OP chapter only made me want to write him more because OMG THAT MAN HAS SHITTY LUCK! Also, Nami is back, yay! I missed her). So, I'll probably be working on the next chapter for this fic before going back to the LawNa fic (I'm sorry for those who were looking forward to that ). The next chapter might surprise you guys, cuz the idea surprised me... mainly because it 100% came from Kid's POV, therefore it was his idea, and I did not expect him to do this._


	22. Chapter 22

_More plot relevant smut at the end. Also Killer's the best bro for a reason. And Eustass-fucking-Kid is going to be the death of me, I swear to god._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_To Be Self Aware_

She was crying. She was sitting on the floor in the middle of broken glass and she looked just as broken. The sight took the wind out of him when he came from the bedroom. His chest felt like it was clamped in a vice, slowly crushed with each passing second he watched her attempt to stave off her break down.

He had never felt so angry.

His first instinct had been to run out of that apartment, go to Fishmen District, and slaughter every single shithead with that fucking mark. But then he saw the blood on her finger and realized he couldn't just leave her there, not when she was being an idiot and hurting herself. He wasn't sure what to do at that point. She wasn't moving and her choked sobs made the pain in his chest grow. He needed to make her stop, but he didn't have a clue how. Hitting someone usually made him feel better, but there was no one for him to hit, and he was pretty sure that wouldn't fix it, anyway.

Then she said Arlong's name, and he saw fucking red.

Instinct screamed at him again. His rampage in Fishmen District would be nothing compared to what he had planned for the shithead who started it all. He would break into whatever prison that man was in and brutally tear him limb from limb, string him up and use him for target practice until he slowly bled out. See how he liked being shot a few hundred times. Maybe he'd find some of the prick's friends, force him to watch them die in the most agonizing ways. Retribution for making Nami witness something like that at only ten.

He didn't care if he went to jail for it. Didn't care if the cops executed him on the spot for it. He would make these people bleed for making Nami cry, consequences be damned.

But he couldn't leave her, and she'd probably never forgive him if he slaughtered so many people. And she'd definitely never forgive him if he got in trouble for it. He was stuck there, once again struggling to think up a way to fix everything.

All he could think to do was take away everything that hurt her.

The first thing was that damn picture. Smashing it onto the kitchen counter relieved an ounce of his pent up anger. He realized it might not have been the best decision when he saw her flinch as he came back to her. He didn't want her to fear him, he wasn't the threat there, and the sight of her shrinking in on herself, like a scared little girl, only made his heart twist in his chest. That almost made him angrier, but he forced himself to ignore it.

Killer kept telling him that anger was a secondary emotion, and that he needed to acknowledge the first emotion to trigger it if he wanted to control it better.

He took a deep breath through his nose and fell to his knees in front of her. He was going to take away everything painful for her, that was all he could do. He remembered Nami liked his burgundy hoodie since the first time she wore it, the first night he saw her again after two years. He knew it was soft and warm, the whole reason he liked it, and when she wore it, she swam in the large piece of clothing; that was the reason he liked seeing her wear it.

He couldn't look at her as he wrapped her up in the sweatshirt, but he knew she was staring at him. When he dared to look after pulling up the hood, hoping that she might already be calming, he saw the tear tracks staining her cheeks and the wetness of her eyes, and he felt rage claw at his chest again. He couldn't be angry there, it wouldn't make things better.

He knew he made the right decision when he felt her relax against his chest. She was crying again, but her shoulders weren't as tense and she was clinging to him as if her life depended on it. He sat there holding her tight, and pressed his cheek to the top of her head. He breathed deeply, catching the faint scent of her tangerines mixed with his own scent through the hoodie.

As the tension in his jaw began to ease, and the impulse to go on a murderous rampage gave way to better concentrated thoughts on what to do next, he shifted to sit more comfortably on the floor. He pulled Nami into his lap and wrapped her up in both of his arms, tilting his head down to bury his face against her neck through the hood of his jacket. She shuddered with another sob, but her body became pliant as his hands rubbed circles over her back.

He wasn't sure how long they sat like that, it felt like hours but he guessed it wasn't much more than fifteen minutes. When her sobs ebbed into tired sniffles and the occasional hiccup, Kid finally ventured to move. Her hands grasped his shirt tight when he began to pick himself up, but he wasn't planning to let her go. He scooped her up in his arms, careful to keep her face pressed to his chest and hidden by his hoodie as he carried her toward her bedroom. Her legs dangled over his left arm, while his right wrapped beneath her shoulders and held her close. He could see a few shards of glass digging into her knees and shins from sitting amongst the broken frames, and he frowned at the specks of blood welling from the cuts.

Her room had been tossed around, but otherwise the fishmen left it mostly intact. Her lamps were broken in there, but the closet light lit the room enough for him to see as he walked through. Her bathroom was left alone, mercifully. He took her in there and set her on the toilet seat. Her grip relaxed, releasing his shirt so he could finally pull away.

She didn't say anything, and he had no words of comfort to give her. He wasn't good at these things, he knew that, and he wasn't going to try. He had no idea how she must be feeling, and he wasn't going to insult her by pretending otherwise, so he just kept his mouth shut and turned to the vanity to search for bandages and peroxide.

Nami kept her face shrouded with her long hair and his jacket, but he knew she had stopped crying. That was good. He didn't want her to cry anymore.

Crouched in front of her, he silently cleaned the cut on her finger and wrapped in it a band-aid. She had some tweezers in the drawer that she used to pull out the tiny pieces of glass in her knees. She didn't wince, didn't even let out a squeak of discomfort as she sat there numbly letting him clean the small cuts.

"We gotta call the cops," he muttered while swabbing antiseptic over her knee. A flutter of hair drew his gaze up to see her shake her head. "Nami, I don't like the idea either, but this place is trashed. Yer landlord's gonna throw fit and want a police report, anyway." She shook her head again and wiped at her nose before picking her head up so he could see her sad expression. Her skin was a blotchy pink where it wasn't abnormally pale. He frowned. "Why?"

"They won't do anything, and if they find out I'm associated with Arlong in any way…" She trailed off, looking to the side with a thoughtful frown. He grunted his understanding and went back to work on her cuts. He didn't know how she managed to avoid being wanted by the police, but if they knew she had worked for a gang in any way, that might change. He wouldn't let them take her. "I should call Jinbei… He'll know what to do. He works with the government. He'll keep them from going after me. Umm…" There was more life to her voice, but it sounded panicked as she squirmed under his hands. He glanced up to see her brows furrowed with stress. "Shit, I left my phone in the car… I need to get-"

"Yer stayin' right here," he grunted, pushing down on her thighs with a glare. "I don't need ya goin' back out into that mess and falling apart again." She met his glare with a pout that would normally make him cave, but it was different than normal- it was truly hurt. "And I ain't leavin' ya alone in here to go get it myself. I got Frank's number. I'll give him a call and get it sorted for you." She nodded and gave him a hint of a smile. It was a start, but she still wasn't happy. He patted her leg as he pushed himself up to make that call. "You stay in here, and I'll start packin' some of yer things. Blanket and books. Anything else ya want to take?"

"My tea and…" she trailed off with a frown. She looked to be considering something as she stared up at him, weighing what she was about to say. "Lower right drawer of my dresser, it has a false bottom. There should be a small safe hidden inside."

His eyes went wide with surprise. She just told him where she kept something valuable. He didn't think she'd ever trust anyone with that. Granted, she didn't tell him how to open it, but the fact he knew it existed, and where it was, meant she at least trusted him a little bit.

He smirked and reached down to brush his hand over her cheek, pushing strands of hair behind her ear as he leaned down to steal a chaste peck. Her smile was soft and warm when he pulled away, another improvement despite the sadness still lingering in her eyes. He was glad he stayed.

"Got it, Kitten," he said, giving her hair a short tousle. "Now don't leave this room. I'll be right back."

He pulled out his phone and headed into the other room, shutting the door behind him as he dialed up her friend.

"Yo," Franky answered after a few rings.

"Hey, it's Kid."

"Oh! Nami's boyfriend! What can I do ya?"

He wanted to smirk at the title, but it wasn't the time to gloat.

"Somethin's come up at Nami's. We found the place completely trashed," he explained.

"What!? How bad is it? Is she doing okay?" Franky rushed out his questions but before Kid could answer, he heard movement in the background and then the man repeated what Kid told him. He could hear Robin faintly, echoing the same questions Franky had asked.

"It's pretty bad," Kid answered loudly, drawing their attention back to him. "I got Nami in the bathroom right now. Only spot in this place that isn't torn up, and she cut herself on some glass, so I had t' clean that up." He let out a heavy sigh. "Walls are painted with Arlong's mark and shit… They cut up some pictures and one of the pricks shot the picture of her mom…"

"We're coming right over," Robin was the one to respond and Kid wasn't surprised by what she said.

"Yeah. I gotta pack up some of her stuff still, so we'll be here for a bit. She said to call that Jinbei guy, but she left her phone in my car and I ain't lettin' her walk through this place right now."

"I understand. We'll call him on our way, and we can handle everything from there so you two don't have to stay."

"Oi, what kind of structural damage is there?" Franky piped up after Robin handed him back the phone. "I don't want her landlord rippin' her off with this stuff."

"Front door's warped and the frame's splintered." Kid explained as he went out to the living room and kitchen to take another look around. "The paint they used is red," he hummed as he brushed a hand over it to see it was dry. They must have hit the place the night before. It might have been for the best they didn't come by then, who knows what they might have walked in on. "It'll be a pain to cover up, but not the end of the world. Couple of the cupboards had the doors ripped off, too." He opened a few drawers in the kitchen and found Nami's tea. "The rest of the damage is to her stuff. They stole her fuckin' TV, too."

"Doesn't sound too bad. I'll see what I can work out with the landlord. A couple of the guys still owe her money, they'll help replace some of her stuff, too. And Robin might be able to help get her out of her lease. I doubt she'll want to keep living there after this."

"Yeah," he grunted in agreement as he moved over to her refrigerator. He grabbed a can of cola, balancing it and the small box of tea in the crook of his arm.

"Oh, and Eustass-san," Robin jumped back in. "Nami will probably want a long relaxing bath after this. If you're packing her things, she has some bath salts she loves beneath the sink."

"I'll grab 'em," he muttered while dropping her tea into the bag and taking it into the bedroom.

"Thank you for being there for her," she added. He felt strangely flustered and uncomfortable with her gratitude, so he grunted awkwardly. He could hear Franky snort as she giggled at the lack of response. "We'll see you guys soon."

He hung up without a word, still feeling strange about Robin's last remark. She had told him in the beginning that he should keep his distance, but now she was thanking him for being with Nami through this. He was obviously doing something right.

Back in Nami's room, he moved to crouch in front of her dresser and pulled out the lower right drawer. Nothing seemed out of place among the pairs of shorts she had in there, and after pulling them out, he found the seam of the panel hiding the safe. It was a small safe, about the size of one of her larger textbooks. He imagined she didn't keep anything more than important papers in there, maybe some emergency cash. He didn't count on finding out, so he didn't worry about it as he tucked it into the bag, along with more of her clothes. He piled her textbooks and notes on top of everything. He remembered she had a stack of books on her nightstand, novels she liked to read before bed- when he wasn't there, of course. They were tossed onto the floor, one was torn up, but the others looked to be okay, so he threw them into the bag with everything else.

Her jewelry box had been dumped out, broken, and the contents scattered across the room. He stared thoughtfully at the mismatched earrings, many of them bent or broken, and decided it wasn't worth the effort to salvage them. Her necklaces were a twisted knot, but at least they were still there as far as he could tell. He carefully picked out the ones he remembered seeing her wear the most, and tucked them into a side pocket of her bag.

Once he felt satisfied he had everything she might want, he turned to the bed and tore the blanket off. There were some shards of glass and splinters of wood on it from the broken lamps and jewelry box. He shook them off and folded the blanket into a messy bundle that he tossed to the floor next to the mostly packed bag.

With that done, he grabbed the can of cola he set aside, and went back to the bathroom to find Nami still sitting there, legs curled against her chest as she stared at the wall. She didn't notice him until he popped the can open with a finger and held the cool drink against her forehead. She snapped out of her thoughts with a stifled shriek, and he couldn't help but smirk at her glare. His smile grew when she took the proffered drink with a huff. She was startin' to look better.

"Frank and Robin are comin' over. Said they'd call that guy on the way." He explained while crouching down to dig beneath the sink again. "They're gonna stay here and take care of everything, so I can take ya home once they get here. Robin said you'll probably want to take a bath, too…"

"You don't have a tub," she reminded, but he waved her off.

"Killer's got a big one in his bathroom, you know that. He won't have a problem with you usin' it whenever ya want." He found the bath salts Robin told him about, and pulled three glass jars out. He chuckled at the first one and held it up to her. "Tangerine Sage. Not surprised by that one." She stuck her tongue out at him for the teasing, but it earned him another smile, this time unforced. "Hmmm, White Tea Ginger, and Ocean Breeze. Ya want all a'these?"

"I combine the tangerine one with Ocean Breeze, so I want at least those two." He glanced at her, brow quirked curiously. "My home town is on an island off the coast, so the smell of the ocean with tangerines relaxes me the best."

He hummed, turned to look back at the jars with a thoughtful frown. Nodding, he set all three on the counter around the sink. "Good t'know. I'll bring all of 'em." He glanced around her bathroom, spotted three candles- blue, green, and white- sitting on a small cabinet she kept her extra towels in. He pulled out the bottom of his loose black tank, making it into a makeshift basket, and scooped the candles and jars of salt into it. He heard Nami giggle as he headed back into her bedroom to pack them up, the sound music to his ears. "I'm gonna call Killer before yer friends get here," he called back to her as he zipped up her bag.

"Okay." Her response sounded more relaxed, her sullen air gone. Maybe he didn't suck at the whole comforting thing as much as he thought.

He got ahold of Killer and quickly explained what happened as he slipped back out to the living room. He kept his voice down while he went to sit on the couch, hand idly plucking at the stuffing in the cushion.

"Just keeps gettin' worse for her, huh?" Killer groaned. "But I gotta say, pretty surprised you're still with her and not tearing Fishmen District a new one for this."

"I ain't gonna leave Nami by herself here. Those shitheads could have come back while I was gone, and she'd be an easy target with how broken up she was. Plus…" He trailed off to glower at the picture he could see sitting on the counter. "I dunno. I knew it wouldn't have helped her if I left, just made it all worse." Killer grunted in agreement. "Shit, ya should'a seen her… That asshole Arlong shot her mom in front of her, and then these pricks come in and put a bullet through the woman's picture… She looked like she was ten again and relivin' the whole thing in her head." He let out a heavy sigh and wiped his hand over his face to clear away the pain in his chest that came with the image.

"How's she doing now?"

"Better. I got a smile outta her, at least." He sighed again and slumped back into the couch. "We still got a couple of her tangerines, right?"

"Yeah, two. I'll run out to the store to get her some more. Anything else?"

"There's a brand a' tea she likes to drink in the morning. I grabbed her box of it, but didn't seem like there was much left. It's in the bag, I'll text ya the name of it in a bit." His head fell back as he stared at the ceiling. "Hmm, she likes ice cream… fruit flavors, probably." He heard Killer hum in response. "Get her some juice, I guess. She likes sandwiches." He frowned at Killer's chuckle. "What?"

"Nothing. I'm surprised you're remembering all this."

"I pay attention, damn it," he growled. "What else do girls like when they're all emotional and crap?"

"Nami doesn't seem like the chocolate type, but I'll pick some up, anyway. I think we still have a bottle of her wine in the fridge, too. Flowers?"

"Tsh, isn't that sappy and cliché and shit? And shouldn't I be gettin' 'em, not you?"

"I can always tell her you told me to get them."

"And have her laugh at me!?"

"Would you rather have her laughing at you right now, or crying again?"

Killer's question gave him pause as he frowned up at the ceiling. He let out a long breath. "Laughing."

"Flowers it is, then."

"Just don't get her fuckin' roses. That's way too fuckin' cheesy and I'll never hear the end of it." He was careful to keep his voice down as he bit out his instructions, Killer chuckling the entire time. "I swear if I see one rose, Killer…."

"Alright, alright. No roses."

"Good," he grunted. "Oh, and she's takin' a bath when we get back. Guess it'll help her relax."

"My bathroom's clean, she can use it whenever she wants. I'll put some fresh towels in there for her, though."

"Thanks."

There was a pause on the other end that Kid didn't pay any mind to at first, not until Killer chuckled softly.

"What?"

"… I'm proud of you, Kid."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean!?" He couldn't keep his voice down this time as he sat up abruptly.

"You've really matured, putting Nami's needs first…. Unless you're just doing this for the sex."

"Of course I'm not doing it for the- What the fuck kind of person do you think I am!?" The only answer he received was a long round of laughter. "Oi! Killer!? Damn it!"

"Just wanted to make sure," Killer stammered out between chuckles. "But seriously, you've come a long way." Kid could feel his face heating and grumbled curses at his best friend for flustering him. "I'm starting to think you might not actually fuck this relationship up."

"Fuck you," he muttered.

"I'll run to the store right now." Killer said, brushing off Kid's annoyance. He grunted in response and hung up on him. He had nothing more to say and needed to will away the redness of his cheeks before Nami's friends got there.

He absolutely was not blushing. They were just red.

Franky and Robin arrived while he was helping himself to a cola, his face cooling as he stood with his head in the fridge for a few minutes after texting Killer about Nami's tea.

"She's still in the bathroom," he gestured toward the other room when he came out to greet them.

"Thank you," Robin smiled at the information and slipped away to see her friend, leaving him to watch Franky go through the place.

The older man whistled as he took in the damage. "The guys are gonna be pissed when they hear about this."

"You haven't called 'em?"

"Nah, wanted to see for myself what happened. I'll call them after you guys leave, and try to keep them from storming into your place. Nami will probably want to see them, but it might be too soon… These guys opened up an old wound that never really healed right to begin with."

"Yeah…" Kid muttered as he sipped his drink. He felt his mood darkening again, but he forced himself not to act on his impulses. He'll get to tear those pricks a new one soon enough.

"How's she doin' anyway?" Franky asked as he crouched over the broken coffee table, picking up the splintered pieces of wood to assess.

"Better, I think..."

"Good. Nami's always been a strong girl. She held it together workin' for Arlong all those years, I know she'll recover from this easily." The man sent him a confident grin, and Kid hoped he was right.

"How long did she work for Arlong, anyway?"

"Hmm, eight years, I think. She met the guys when she was eighteen… not that long before we met you, actually. When I met her, she had only been free from Arlong for… maybe two or three months then, maybe a little longer, then that run in with you at the bar was a few months more."

"What'd that guy even want a ten year old girl in his gang for, anyway?" That was the part that got to him the most, he just couldn't wrap his head around what Nami would be useful for that young. Now? Sure, he knew she was smart and a damn talented thief, but at ten she was just some snot nosed brat. He did remember her mentioning someone seeing her potential, though.

"I don't really know the details, but it had to do with how talented she is with weather and the oceans. She can predict the weather by her senses alone, and she actually knows more about the ocean than those fishmen do. Hachi told me they found a map she drew…" He paused to look up, scratching his chin. "I think she still has it, too. But that girl drew a perfectly accurate topographical map of her whole home and the ocean around it from memory alone. Currents, underwater formations… stuff she didn't even see for herself, she just knew they were there. For a fishmen, knowing the ocean like that was the same thing as having power over the seas. Arlong wanted to find a way to use that to terrorize humans."

Kid hummed as he let that sink in. He realized that calling Arlong's group a gang was an understatement to what he was. He gathered the guy was some common criminal, but he seemed to have aspirations beyond stealing and murder.

"Arlong hated humans," a voice spoke up from the bedroom, and Kid's head snapped around to see Nami standing there, Robin behind her with a comforting hand on her shoulder. Nami's hands were hidden in the sleeves of his sweatshirt, but he could see the ends curling in as she gripped them tight. "I didn't find out until recently why. Fishmen have been marginalized, turned into outcasts. A lot of them were turned into slaves for years, bought and sold, treated like animals rather than people. It was unfair, nothing they ever deserved… Arlong hated humanity for what he and his brethren had to go through."

"Yet he kept a human girl in his gang," Kid muttered.

She shrugged. "He said it all the time- that I was different. He felt fishmen were the superior race, but that my mind almost put me in the same class as them. He said that if humans were rats, I was a cunning little cat. In some way, he grew to see me as a sister in spirit to him and his men, he saw me as one of his people in a twisted way." She took a deep breath and glanced toward the wall with a tribal shark painted over it, his gaze following hers. The symbol looked like it was bleeding, but he recognized it as Arlong's mark. "He tattooed that on me when I was ten, claiming me for his group." His eyes went wide and he looked back at her, but she was still staring at the wall. "The scar on my shoulder, that's where it was. I tried to cut it off myself after he betrayed me, sold out my hidden stash of money to a cop he had been bribing. My sister ended up getting shot in that raid. I was lucky she survived, but a lot happened after. My whole town was up in arms, wanting to fight him and take back control of the island. I didn't want anyone else to die…" Her head fell forward and Kid found himself moving on instinct. Robin sent him a sympathetic smile as she gently pushed Nami his way, his arms wrapping around her like they had earlier. It had worked before, it should work again.

"You don't have to tell me anymore," he spoke lowly, tugging up the hood of his sweatshirt again to hide her away. "I got everything packed up. We should get ya outta here." He felt her nod against his chest, and he let out a deep sigh as he glanced at her friends.

"We'll help carry it down," Robin offered.

"It's the bag in the bedroom," he said with a nod. "The blanket, too."

Robin smiled again, and nudged her head at her boyfriend to signal he come help her while Kid began to lead Nami out of the apartment. He didn't want to see Nami so hurt and traumatized again, but he was glad to know a few more details about her past. For her to live that kind of life for so long, he hated it, but he was proud of her for surviving and carrying on. Another part of him wanted to feel annoyed that she could even think to compare him to Arlong, but he knew he was possessive of her, and for that man to tattoo her at ten, he obviously had no intention of letting her go. And he wouldn't even pretend he wasn't violently short-tempered, not when every single thought that night revolved around murdering the scum who did this to her.

But he swore he'd be better.

He never wanted to see her cry again, and least of all because of him.

* * *

Nami had stayed silent through most of the drive back to his house, staring out the window at the passing city streets. Her mood seemed better, even if she was distracted. She wasn't crying or sulking, she merely looked worn out.

Once at his house, he dragged her bag down to his room and dumped the contents out onto his bed.

"You grabbed a lot more than my books, Kid," Nami laughed. She gave him a teasing nudge to push him aside so she could go through it all.

"Heh," he gave her a lopsided grin. "With a spoiled princess like you, just wanted to make sure ya didn't bitch at me about forgettin' anything."

"Sure," she sang. "It's not like you know how to be thoughtful, or anything."

He saw an amused sparkle in her eye when she glanced up at him, and he couldn't restrain the urge to wrap her up in his arms. She giggled as he squeezed her tight, his arms around her shoulders, and smacked a wet kiss to her cheek. Nuzzling against her neck, he muttered "You feelin' better?"

He felt her shrug, her weight sinking back into him. "I could really go for that bath right now."

He chuckled and pulled away. "Yep, definitely a princess, wantin' t' be pampered and shit." She turned to stick her tongue out at him. He tried to catch between his thumb and finger before she retracted it, but was too late, so settled with pinching her cheek. "Come on, then. I gave Killer a heads up, he should have everything ready."

Reaching around her, he grabbed the bath salts and candles, and cradled them in his arms as he nudged her out of the room with his knee. Hearing Nami laugh more only continued to lighten his mood.

"Oi! Killer!" Kid called out when they reached the kitchen. There were some bags of groceries still sitting on the counter, but the blond was nowhere to be found until he heard Killer skip heavily down the stairs.

The older man's attention went to Nami first, sparing her a gentle smile and nod, then he turned to regard Kid. "Sorry, just finished setting everything up."

"Good," he grunted and lightly kicked Nami again with his knee. "Get goin', Princess."

She rolled her eyes at him while Killer looked at her quizzically. She laughed as she went to the stairs. "Apparently I've earned a new nickname tonight."

Killer snorted, but held back whatever thought he had about it, and waved for Kid to follow her while he came up last. Kid didn't know why, but he swore Killer's room smelled way too flowery when he entered.

He found out why when they got to the bathroom.

"Awww," Nami cooed. "Killer…"

"Oi! What the fuck is this shit!? I said no roses!" Kid hollered, turning to seethe at his friend.

Killer ignored him. "Kid thought you might need more cheering up when you got home and told me to pick up some flowers-"

"I said no fucking roses, damn it!"

"There's also mango and strawberry gelato in the freezer, and I picked up more tangerines," Killer continued.

"And did ya have to fill yer whole fuckin' bathroom with flowers!? I said nothin' cheesy! This is too cheesy!"

"There's also bubble bath by the tub, and the control for the jets is right there." Kid was completely ignored as Killer gave Nami a short tour.

"I have her fuckin' bath salts right here, she doesn't need bubble bath!" Kid shouted above them, finally getting their attention.

"I thought she might like bubbles. Girls like taking baths with bubbles," Killer explained while taking the jars of salt from him, as well as the candles. He set them on the sand colored tile rim around his large jetted tub, and moved to the bathroom vanity to fish out a box of matches. "Isn't that right, Nami?"

"It is. I love taking bubble baths," she nodded easily as she watched him light her candles.

The room took on an extra glow, flickering around the small vases of white roses and lilies and baby's breath. Kid glared at the sight as he slumped against the door frame, the annoyed look turned back onto Killer when he came to stand next to him. The bastard looked sickly amused with what he did, and he swore he was going to punch him for it.

"Thank you, Killer," Nami smiled happily, stepping closer to the blond. His eyes narrowed as she pushed onto her tiptoes to plant an innocent peck on Killer's cheek. "It's beautiful."

"Oi! It was my idea!" Kid hollered. Where the fuck was his thanks?

Nami laughed at his outrage and immediately turned to him. He growled at her as she tugged him down by the shirt to give him a sweet kiss on the lips. "And thank you, Kid. You didn't have to go this far, but it means a lot to me."

"Yeah, well… I still said no roses," he grumbled, once more glaring at Killer while holding Nami against his chest in a tight hug. She laughed quietly, her arms around his waist as she swayed them side to side. "And oi! Will ya wipe that damn smug smile off your face, bastard!" He shouted at his friend, Nami only laughing harder in his hold.

"Your girlfriend kissed me," Killer chuckled.

"Oi!" He shouted in warning, but was distracted at the sound of Nami's continued giggling. "And what the fuck are you laughin' for!?"

"It's just cute how romantic you can be," she teased, chin pressed to his chest so she could look up at him. He could feel his face heating. "And especially when you start blushing like that."

"I ain't blushing! I'm angry!" He shouted.

"Kid, what have I told you about anger being a secondary emotion…" Killer lectured with a snort.

"Shut it! I don't want to hear your damn psycho-babble right now!" He hollered at his friend, then turned back to Nami. "And I ain't fuckin' romantic, damn it!" He argued as she laughed. "I said to get somethin' t' make ya stop bein' emotional! And I said no fucking roses!"

"But you were still being thoughtful, and that's romantic," she pointed out. "Though, technically Killer's the romantic one since he picked it all out."

He shot his friend another glare that only hardened at the cocky grin on his face. "That's it. I was gonna overlook the damn flowers, but now I'm beatin' the shit out of you for this."

"Now, now, Kid." Killer gave him a hard pat on the shoulder as he turned to exit the room. "I'm merely playing your Cyrano and helping you woo your lady."

Nami broke down into shrieks of laughter as Killer walked out with a wave. "Oi! What the fuck is that reference from!?" He shouted after his friend, unwilling to let go of Nami to chase after him. "Oi! Killer! Answer me, damn it!" Giving up, he looked down at the woman in his arms and growled. His arms slipped up to wrap around her head, and he playfully tugged her side to side. "Will ya stop laughin' at me, woman."

"But you're cute when you're embarrassed," she giggled.

He muttered a choice string of curses under his breath, and leaned down to press his lips to her temple. Killer was right. It was definitely better to have her laughing at him than crying. "I swear you two are out to piss me off," he grumbled, his words lacking bite as he kissed down her cheek until he reached her lips to give her a hard kiss. "Now just take yer fuckin' bath while I go beat up that shit head."

"Be nice to Killer. He meant well." She pouted, and he stole another kiss while pushing her toward the tub.

"Don't take his fuckin' side."

He glowered at her teasing smirk as she slipped from his hold. He almost forgot his anger as he watched her shrug off his hoodie, his mind momentarily drifting to images of her taking off more clothes. Before he could enjoy it, though, the clothing was tossed at his face. He tugged it off his head to see her warm smile as she waited for him to leave.

Calmer, he stepped forward to grasp her by the waist, pulling her in for one last kiss, slow and savoring. "I'll be outside with Killer if ya need anything," he said lowly with another peck. "Just holler."

"Thank you, Kid."

She looked so much happier than she had an hour ago. If he had left to hunt down those fishmen, he wouldn't have gotten to see her look at him at like that, he wouldn't have heard her laughing and teasing him as if nothing bad had happened to her. And he wouldn't have realized how important that smile was to him.

Leaving her to have whatever time she needed, he jogged downstairs feeling lighthearted and content with the choices he made that night. When he got to the den, he found his pair of fingerless sparring gloves thrown at his face, and he turned to see Killer waiting at the back door with his own set. He met the blond's knowing smile with a wide grin and followed him out to the back.

Nami had her way to relax, and he had his. Whatever rage he had left would be gone by the time Nami was out of the bath.

* * *

Kid wasn't surprised to find Nami still relaxing in the bath after he finished sparring with Killer. He would have taken a great deal of pleasure leaning against the door frame, staring at her wet and naked body, but those damn bubbles obscured his view when he went in to check on her.

"You two actually beat each other up?" Nami cocked a brow at him as her lips pulled up in a smirk. He was sweaty, his hair was a mess, and he knew he had a few red scraps on his chin from some glancing blows. He also had a purple bruise forming on the left side of his stomach beneath his shirt that she couldn't see. That was his fault, though. Killer caught him off balance with a strike and he fell hard against the deck's railing. He really needed to work on building that sparring room over his garage.

He grinned as came in to kneel beside the tub, idly brushing clumps of bubbles away to catch a peek. Laughing, she splashed him, and he dipped his arm into the warm water to wrap around her waist and tug her closer to the side. "That's what he gets for being a smug bastard."

"That's cute coming from another smug bastard," she teased as she came to prop herself on the side of the tub. His eyes fell to the tops of her round breasts, pressed up against the rim of the bath. They glistened with water and he groaned at the urge to run his hand over them, knowing they would be slippery from the soapy bubbles. He satisfied himself by grazing his hand over her back and hip beneath the water, listening to her hum at the light touch.

"Just be happy I'm not mad at you for giving him a damn kiss."

"Aww, did you get jealous over that little peck?" She laughed at his empty growl and pushed herself up to brush her lips over his.

"Hell no," he groaned, hand working up to glide over her breast. They were right in front of him, he couldn't resist the temptation any more. His thumb brushed over a hard nipple and his lips tugged at hers, stealing slow, open mouth kisses with a deep sigh. When he felt her hand grasp his and pull it away, he frowned at her.

"Go clean up, Kid. I'll be done in here in a minute."

"Or…" he hummed, leaning in with the hope of gaining another kiss. She moved away, and he hovered over the water with a wicked smirk. "How 'bout ya let me get in the tub with you?"

"If you want a bath, Kid, then you should remodel your own bathroom, but you're not getting in this tub with me." She giggled at his disappointed glower and splashed his face.

His frown deepened. "Stingy."

"Just go," she splashed again. "I'll be down in a bit."

He grunted in annoyance, but he wasn't surprised she'd rebuff him there. After her night, he couldn't imagine her being in the mood. Hell, if it wasn't for her state of undress, he wouldn't be pushing for anything that night, either. Tears weren't exactly a turn on for him.

"Fine," he said, grabbing a blue towel to wipe off his face. He tossed it at her, laughing at her shriek when it landed in the water.

He took a longer shower than he planned, but he needed it after teasing Nami in the bathtub. When he finally got out, he slipped on a pair of grey sweat pants and a clean black tank top, and wandered out into his room. As he was running a towel through his wet hair, he found Nami sitting on the floor in the living area off his bedroom, clad in black shorts and a red tank top. She was curled up with her back against the sofa and a bowl of ice cream on the coffee table, looking comfortable and at home as she watched TV. He smirked when she glanced his way, and tossed his towel onto the sofa before settling onto the floor beside her. The smile she gave him was adorable and he couldn't resist leaning over to kiss her temple.

"I take it yer feelin' better?" He dared to ask as he draped his arm on the sofa behind her, left leg bent up to help him balance without his other arm attached. His right leg folded in as she nestled closer to him, her legs resting over it. She balanced her bowl against her chest, and he saw she had a two scoops of the gelato Killer had bought for her- one strawberry and one mango- and the ice cream was topped with slices of tangerine.

She hummed and gave him a nod as she stuck a spoonful of her treat into her mouth, and he couldn't help but watch her lips wrap around it. Damn, he was jealous of a spoon.

"Having you there really helped," she admitted, and his arm wrapped around her in a lazy hug as he gloated. She shrieked when her next bite of ice cream was stolen with a cheeky grin. "Stop stealing my ice cream, Kid," she glowered at him.

The annoyance waned with his chuckle as he gave her a soft kiss. She still growled quietly when he pulled away and shot him a warning glare as she went for another bite. He let her eat in peace after that, and was happily rewarded with a few bites held out for him to take. It reminded him of the time he helped her babysit in the park, and he idly mused to himself that he _had_ come a long way since then.

"You surprised me, you know," Nami said after setting her empty bowl on the coffee table and turning to curl against his side.

"How so?" He grunted, pressing his cheek to her hair as she laid her head on his chest.

"I didn't think you'd stay there with me like that," she explained softly.

"Hmmm, Killer thought the same thing." He sunk down a bit more, his arm moving to her waist to pull her further into his lap. "I'll be honest, my first thought was to go on a rampage when I saw ya sittin' there. But, I couldn't leave ya like that."

"After I told you about what Arlong did… I thought you were leaving then," she said even quieter.

"If I knew where he was locked up, I'll admit I thought about hunting him down and killing him, too… Figured it wouldn't actually help ya, though. None of it would." He sighed and turned his head to kiss her hair. "Sorry I scared ya then, by the way."

"It's okay. I know you were angry, but you were also trying to help me." She trailed off into a giggle and peeked up at him. "Yet you still managed to comfort me. I never knew you had it in you."

"Tsh," he looked away with a frown. She better not think about teasing him again. "Yeah, well, it ain't somethin' I ever do, so I didn't have a clue what I was doin'."

"Could have fooled me." She laughed again and he felt her hand on his cheek, pulling his face to her. "You were perfect tonight, Kid. I couldn't have asked for better a boyfriend."

His grin was arrogant at her praise as she pressed a kiss to his jaw. Damn right he was the best boyfriend. She snickered as he leaned in to snatch a kiss. She tasted like tangerines, as she always did, but there was still the lingering flavor of her ice cream that only made him want more.

"Glad I managed to do something right by you tonight, Kitten," he muttered, his nose brushing over hers. He found himself staring for a moment, taken by her sparkling eyes, the brown hue warm and inviting as her hand trailed over his cheek. His head tilted to the side for the next kiss, his eyes shut as he relished the feel of her soft lips. He groaned when they slowly parted to his, and one kiss turned into two, and then three, and then he lost count when she sighed happily and he swore she was smiling into every one.

She broke away with a quiet giggle suddenly. "You even got me flowers."

"Damn it," he sneered, pulling back to glare up at the door. "I told him not to do something so sappy. Yer never gonna let me live it down."

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye as he listened to her laugh. "It was sweet you thought to have him do something, Kid. It really surprised me."

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it. I don't do romantic, cliché shit like that," he huffed.

"No, no, of course you don't," she teased patronizingly. He sneered, even as he let her pull his face back to hers. "I don't expect you to do those things, and I don't need you to," she whispered and gave him a fleeting peck when he was in reach. His hand drifted up to curl into her hair. "But I'm happy to see you willing to try, even just once. It shows how much you think of me."

"Tsh, I think of ya all the damn time," he grumbled against her lips, molding them to hers again.

He really loved her kisses.

He forgot all about the flowers and the romance when she smiled. He forgot about trashed apartments and cruel fishmen when her tongue teased over his. He forgot about her tears as he slowly laid her down on the floor.

He knew he wasn't supposed to be pushing for anything that night, but there she was helping pull his shirt off and smiling up at him as he laid back over her to kiss her more, and he figured as long as she was happy, then it didn't matter. Her shirt was next, but he took his time as his hand traced over her skin and his lips followed the path up her stomach. She tasted like tangerines and the ocean from her bath, and he wondered if someday he could take her back to the beach and ocean she loved, and taste her sun kissed and salty skin as they lay in the sand after a day of playing.

He grinned at the red bra he had wanted to see her in and playfully bit at the clasp between her breasts. Her laughter only made his grin spread, and the way her fingers trailed through his hair beckoned him to climb back up her body and taste her lips all over again. Her breasts freed with a flick of his fingers, he held himself up with the stump he had left of his arm so his right hand could kneed her flesh. He breathed in her gasps when his fingers pinched the bud of a nipple, lips unwilling to part from hers. He loved hearing the little noises she made, but that night he wanted to greedily swallow them up.

He groaned when her hands began to wander over him. Fingers traced thick scars and hard muscle. His ego always swelled when she touched him like that, reverent and almost awestruck. He never felt stronger than he did under her sweet touches. He loved it rough, he loved it when her nails cut into his skin, but there was something different about having her hands brush gently over him, a different sort of desire echoed in the touch. When she touched him like that, he felt she might let him keep her forever, and he wanted nothing more than that.

His stomach twitched as her hand drifted down, fingers curling around the waist of his pants. He grinned and kissed her harder, and then jerked his hips forward when he felt her grasp his length tight.

Tenderness and patience dwindled, his lips blazed a hot trail down her neck. He groaned against her chest, arched beautifully into him as he tugged at a nipple between his teeth. His hand slid between her legs, listening as she panted with his teasing touches. She was hot and wet beneath his fingertips, and all he wanted was to be buried inside her.

She was just as desperate it seemed, Nami sitting up as he tore her shorts off to help tug his pants down. He shoved her back to the floor, lips sealed to hers as he kicked the last piece of his clothing away. His hand was at her cheek, tangled in strands of her hair, and he devoured her with his hungry kiss. His whole body covered hers, he could feel every inch of her soft skin sliding against his. She was so small compared to him, he imagined they made for a strange pair with all their differences, but there writhing beneath him, he couldn't think of anyone fitting him better.

Her legs wrapped high around his waist when he slid into her, and their lips parted just enough to let out relieved sighs and gasps with every slow roll of his hips. They shared fluttering kisses as he ground into her, and struggled to stifle their pleasured moans. His fingers tangled gently into her hair, brushing through the strands that felt like silk to his rough skin. Her own were curled around his jaw, digging into his hair to hold him too her as her gasps turned into high pitched cries between distracted pecks.

He loved to see how her cheeks turned rosy and her forehead glistened from the warmth that came from their bodies sliding together. Eyes fogged with lust peered at him until they rolled back with her head and she cried out with relief. His lips pressed to her neck as he sped up his thrusts, mindlessly nipping and sucking her skin as the sensation of her body tightening and shuddering around him drove him to the brink. His eyes screwed shut and let out a loud groan as he came with a few trembling thrusts of his hips.

Panting for air, his whole body went slack above her and he sank down onto her chest. He could hear her own labored breaths and her heart thundering beneath his ear. He found himself grinning, barking out a short laugh as he sucked in lungfuls of air.

"What?" She huffed out a quiet laugh of her own, tugging at his hair. He tilted his head back to see her content smile, and he found the strength to push himself up to hover over her. His grin relaxed as he took in her face, fingers dancing over her cheek as he swept a few strands of hair away, damp with sweat and stuck to her skin. Her cheeks were still tinged pink, her eyes were glowing with amusement and happiness. There were no traces of sadness, of pain. He managed to take it all away, so only his sweet and beautiful Nami remained. "Kid?" She prompted again with a giggle, but he shook his head and pressed his lips to hers for a long, breathless kiss.

There was no way he could tell her what was on his mind.

There was no way he could tell her that he loved her.

* * *

**_A/N: _**_*SCREAMS BLOODY MURDER* EUSTASS-FUCKING-KID HAS RUINED ME! RU-IN-ED! FUCK THIS ASSHOLE! I FUCKING HATE HIM FOR THIS! GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!_

_FUCKING POSITIVE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT SHIT!? FUCK!_


	23. Chapter 23

_I don't know what happened to this chapter. I lost control. It is very much Kid's fault._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_A New Habit_

Most every morning, no matter what time they went to bed the night before, Nami woke before Kid. _Everyone_ woke up before Kid.

The man was not a morning person, or an afternoon person, or even a night person. He slept when he wanted to sleep and he didn't wake up until his body decided it wanted to be awake, and even then it was a struggle. She remarked once, after Kid slept for nearly fourteen straight hours, that he could probably sleep through the Apocalypse. Killer then informed her that he had once slept through an earthquake, but he had been drinking heavily the night before, so that might have played a role.

She knew he wasn't as deep a sleeper as Zoro was, someone she knew for a fact could sleep through the end of days, and he wasn't prone to napping nearly as often, if ever, but still she enjoyed teasing him. He always woke with his mind in a fog, easily confused, and extremely grouchy. As obnoxious as it had been to her the first time she saw it, his tired behavior in the morning had grown on her since.

He was his own form of adorable when he'd drag himself out of bed an hour or two after her, usually only because he woke up to find her missing from his side. His hair was a tangled mess, bangs hanging over his forehead with a few strands falling into his eyes. His shoulders would be slumped, and his one hand would scratch at his chest or cheek while he dragged his feet toward the bathroom. She learned quickly not to say anything to him at that time. He would either ignore her, maybe glare and sneer, or if he took offense to whatever she said, he might send her a dismissive curse that usually ended up pissing her off.

Ignoring the occasional moments of bickering in the morning, Nami oddly loved those times with him.

That Saturday morning was no different as her mind roused to the sound of Kid snoring peacefully beside her. Eyes peeled open to see him sprawled on his back, right arm hanging off the bed, and mouth wide open to release his raspy snores. She had most of the blanket, as usual, leaving him with only a corner to cover his left leg. There were many mornings her eyes would trail down appreciatively and she would give in to the temptation to wake him.

The only excuses he accepted for waking him up were either a dire emergency (and someone had better be dying), or his all-time favorite – sex.

That morning she decided it best to let him sleep. They were meeting her friends at Shakky's later, and she wasn't sure how it would go. Kid got along well enough with Franky, and Robin was warming up to him. But the rest…

Luffy would like him. Luffy liked just about everyone. Even people he didn't like at one point, somehow turned into his friends.

She knew Sanji would be passive aggressive, if not outright aggressive most of the night. He hadn't taken news of her new boyfriend well, unsurprising to her. Their first meeting, two years before, was stuck in his memory, and he couldn't understand why she would date such a brute. In the end, he was supportive enough, and his primary concern would be her well-being.

Zoro… he was always a wild card. She knew he wasn't pleased to hear she was dating Kid, but he accepted it as long as she was happy and safe. Her best bet was his indifference, and considering Kid's actions where the fishmen were concerned, Zoro would most likely spare him some of his respect.

Lastly, Usopp would probably cower behind Sanji for most of the night.

Nami vaulted herself over Kid with the grace of a cat, landing on the floor beside his bed without making a sound. His insistence on having her sleep next to the wall at his place made finding an easy and quick escape route necessary. There was nothing worse than needing to go to the bathroom, only to be dragged back into his bed with endless questions about where she was going.

It seemed he would never let go of what happened that first morning.

She ate a light breakfast with Kid's roommates, taking over the den as they always did, and then helped Killer clean up in the kitchen. Filled up and content, Nami made her way back to the basement living space and frowned at her pile of books on the coffee table. It was still too early to study, even for her, so she headed toward the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth before settling onto the sofa with a metal nail file she found in a drawer. As she had run her fingers through her hair, she noticed a nail was chipped when it snagged on a strand. She then realized she had forgotten her files and nail polish when she saw her light pink polish was flaking off, too.

She knew Kid had to have nail polish remover somewhere, but she couldn't find any under the sink. She had a feeling it was in his room, and as quiet as she could be, she wasn't going to risk waking him.

A few minutes later, as she was rounding out a curve of her nail, she realized she didn't have to worry about waking Kid, the red head was already up and dragging himself around with his normal routine. Her gaze flit between her nails and Kid with a hint of a smile, watching him yawn and run his fingers through his hair. His hand fell to scratch his bare chest, only a pair of boxers on to keep him somewhat decent as he slumped into the bathroom, off balance and eyes mostly shut. He ran into the door frame with a grumbled curse.

Once he was done, she watched in amusement as he headed toward the couch, eyelids still heavy with sleep.

"Good morning, sleepy head," she chirped as Kid kneeled onto the sofa. She was sitting with her back against an armrest, legs stretched over the couch. Kid growled while leaning over, shoving himself into the small space between her and the back of the sofa, and collapsed against her lazily with his arm around her waist, and head using her breasts as a pillow. He was taller than the couch was long, and his feet dangled over the side at the end, even after he wrapped his legs around hers to trap her in his embrace. She tugged at his hair with a giggle. "If you want to sleep more, go back to bed."

He grunted stubbornly, and she translated that as a 'No,' or at least something along those lines. When his arm squeezed her tight, she added 'Not without you' to the translation, and couldn't help but smile.

She couldn't explain it, but ever since the break in at her place, Kid had become far clingier than he usually was, at least in private. He was always touching her before, even if it was merely draping an arm around her shoulder, just as he did in public, but since the night before, he sought to be as close to her as possible when they were alone.

The biggest difference was in the type of affection he was showering her with. She was used to his hands wandering in bed, or anywhere, but after they had sex on the floor, Kid kept himself wrapped around her as they went off to bed, face buried against her neck and lips pressing light kisses to her skin. He released her long enough to slip her pajamas back on, but then she was immediately trapped in his arm, held tight to his chest. He spent quite some time stealing tired pecks with his hand drifting through her hair and over her back, and she wondered how long before they became more urgent and he sought something else.

He never did try for another round, much to her surprise and disappointment.

The sex they had that night was different, almost gentler, and there was something in the way he looked at her that took her breath away and made her hope it wouldn't end. Instead he smiled at her, kissed her a few more times, and tucked her close to sleep with his lips pressed to her forehead. Throughout the night, she'd wake enough to turn over and find herself still in his hold, and if she wasn't, her movement prompted him to roll over and swing his arm around her again.

She assumed the clinginess was a reaction to what happened that night, merely a product of his worries, and that it would pass once the issue with the fishmen was resolved and she was safe again. She didn't really want it to go away, though; she liked cuddly Kid.

Giving up on her nails, Nami relaxed beneath him, combing out the small knots in his hair with her fingers as she hummed quietly. She was surprised he didn't fall back to sleep like that.

She watched closely as he stretched after a few minutes, and nuzzled his face into her chest. When he relaxed against her again, his eyes slowly blinked open, stared forward for a long moment, fell shut for another moment, and then opened as he tilted his head back to look up at her. He looked so confused, her heart melted at the sight.

She brushed her fingers over his cheek and watched as he shut his eyes to the touch, releasing a heavy sigh. He looked so content and peaceful. He looked even more pleased when she leaned down and he pushed himself up enough to share a peck of the lips.

"You awake now?" She asked as she pulled away.

He shrugged, settling against her chest once more. "Kinda." His eyes landed on the nail file she'd tossed onto the coffee table, and he asked with a confused furrow to his brow, "That my file?"

"Yeah. I chipped a nail and it was all I could find. I want to run to the store later to get my own, and some nail polish since we forgot that," she said while running her fingers through his hair again.

He hummed. "Just use mine, I don't care."

"I doubt you have a color I'd like, Kid," she snickered, tugging sharply at a stubborn knot. "Unless you have cotton candy pink or baby blue and I just haven't seen you wear it yet."

"Tsh, I ain't got those, but…" He groaned as he pulled away, her body instantly cold without him wrapped around her, and got up to head toward his bedroom. She sat up, watching the door he disappeared through, and listened to him rummage through his things. He came back out a minute later with a beat up old shoe box covered with flecks and smears and splatters of paint, and sat back down in the middle of the couch.

He set the box on the coffee table, and hunched over it to dig through the small glass bottles of nail polish. Nami came closer, draping herself over his back to leech his body heat and feel his hard muscles flex beneath her, and assessed the bottles from a distance.

"I think you have more nail polish than I do," she giggled.

"Shut up," he grumbled at her teasing.

She apologized by pressing her lips to his jaw, and she saw the corner of his lips twitch with a smirk. He wasn't really annoyed.

Most of the polish colors were darker than she liked- black, dark burgundy, a shade of red so deep it looked like blood, dark brown and violet, and one midnight blue that looked unopened. He picked a red out that was lighter than the others, with a subtle sheen of pink and gold to it that she was surprised he would pick out.

"This one somehow ended up in my bag once. Don't know how. Didn't pay for it, either." He explained, frowning at the color. "It ain't bad," he said, admitting he had tried to wear it anyway, "but not really my taste."

She hummed and reached out to take the bottle from him to inspect closely. "I guess I could try this one," she shrugged. "It'll save me from buying more right now."

He grunted in understanding, and shifted to lean back into the couch, trapping her behind him with a playful smirk. She only held to him tighter, and as his head tilted back, she pulled herself forward to give him a kiss.

"Want to help paint my nails?" She asked teasingly.

He snorted and brought her forward as he sat up straight again. "Gotta eat first," he answered, bringing a wide smile to her lips. He reached to pull out the nail polish remover, and a bottle of burgundy polish. Seemed he needed to do his nails judging by the chips in his polish. "There's cotton balls and shit under the sink. Yer helpin' me with my right hand if I'm doin' yours."

"Deal," she chirped, and reluctantly released him.

While Kid went to attach his arm and head upstairs to look for something to eat, Nami cleaned off her old polish and finished filing her nails. By the time she was done, Kid was back with a plate of sausage, bacon, and eggs that she knew Killer probably made for him. He was a walking disaster in the kitchen if it involved anything more than the microwave. He alternated between removing his polish and eating large mouthfuls of his breakfast.

"So you can't paint your right hand by yourself?" She asked idly once he was done eating. They decided she would do his nails first since his had a faster set time, like the majority of the colors he preferred. "Is it because of the prosthetic?"

"Yeah. I could manage well enough with my real hand, but the prosthetic's not the best for fine movement sometimes." He admitted as they moved to sit cross legged in front of each other on the sofa. She took his right hand while he held the bottle for her in his other hand, and set to work.

"Who usually does your nails then?" She asked, smirking up at him.

"I get the guys to help," he chuckled. "Killer most of the time."

"He's like your mom, you know." She snorted at the image of the two men hunched over Kid's nails, giving him a manicure. "Cooks for you and does your nails." Kid gave his own amused snort and didn't argue the comparison. "You guys really are close."

"Been through a lot of shit together. Don't know where I'd be if I didn't have him around."

She glanced up from her work to see him staring at his hand with a pensive frown. Her smile was genuine when he glanced at her. She truly was happy to hear how much Kid appreciated his friend.

"Well," she went on teasingly, attention back on his nails, "you certainly wouldn't be giving your girlfriend flowers without him around."

"Damn it," he growled, "yer doin' your own nails if yer gonna be like that."

"I'm kidding," she laughed.

"Tsh, fuck that, I don't like ya makin' fun of me about it," he bit out and snatched the brush from her once he saw she was done with his right hand. He spun away from her to focus on painting the fake nails of his left hand, unamused with her teasing.

She pouted at his dismissive attitude and watched as he frowned at his nails. "Kid…" she tried.

"Fuck you," he growled.

"You didn't mind me teasing last night," she pouted more.

"That's 'cause it made ya happy last night."

She smirked at the answer and pushed herself up to wrap her arms around his shoulders. He tried to lean away, but her lips still found the spot on his neck that always made his breath grow short. He groaned at her fluttering kisses and relaxed in her hold, his eyes sliding shut as he drank in the sensation.

"Cheater," he huffed as his ire melted away.

"I only tease because it really surprised me that you would think of it." He grunted at her explanation, too distracted by her lips tickling over his ear to say more. "I really loved everything you did for me last night."

His response came as his head turned and he captured her lips in a searing kiss. She shivered when his right hand brushed over her neck and jaw, and slipped into her hair. That same gentleness was in his touch like the night before, his urgency different as he wrapped his other arm around her waist. It felt as though he wanted to consume her, hold her there forever. It was almost frightening, but it made her heart swell and skip a beat in a way she liked, and she found she didn't hate the thought of letting him keep her forever. If only she knew what he was thinking, what was driving him to kiss her with a need that was nothing like the earth shaking lust she was used to.

"So?" She purred once she managed to pull away, both of them breathing heavily. He was staring at her lips, and she could feel that magnetic pull threaten to bring them back together. She smirked as her hands grasped his face and tilted his head enough to meet his gaze. "Will you still help with my nails?"

His lip curled with a growl, but she knew she won when he leaned forward to give her a hard and quick kiss. "Fine. Fuckin' spoiled princess," he grumbled as he sat back and turned to face her once more.

She openly gloated in the face of Kid's annoyance, and promptly stuck her first hand out for him to work on.

"Yer seriously takin' advantage of this," he muttered at her, even as he swept red polish over her nails with ease.

"Taking advantage of what?" She asked, her head cocked to the side innocently. She giggled when he looked up at her, eyes narrowed, but he didn't answer as he went back to work.

In the end, despite his stubbornness in the face of embarrassment, Kid ended up doing all of her nails, including her toes without her asking. She was certain she only got away with it because his mind drifted elsewhere as he worked, so he didn't think anything of it when she gave him her other hand to do. She enjoyed watching his stoic frown as he focused on her toes, her feet comfortably in his lap, and she realized then it was similar to what she saw from him in his workshop. Once he started a task and put his full focus on it, he was not easily deterred from completing it.

When he blew the wet polish on her nails, making her laugh and wiggle her toes, she saw his playful smirk and knew he wasn't annoyed with her anymore. A second later, she let out a loud shriek as he pushed her legs apart and tackled her to the couch to return to the kisses they were enjoying earlier.

"Wait! Kid!" She tried to call out through her laughs, hand pushing at his face carefully. "You're going to ruin my nails."

"Then ya just gotta keep yer hands to yerself," he grinned and grasped her by the wrists to push them over her head.

Her protests were lost in a moan when his lips sucked at her pulse and her legs tightened around his waist instinctively. He ground against her hard, and her mind quickly began to fog over as she gasped and moaned beneath him, every roll of his hips making her weak to his advances.

"Kid," she gasped when one hand went to knead her breast, tugging eagerly at her shirt. She wriggled and whined beneath him. "I want to touch you."

"Then touch me," he grunted, lips wrapped around her nipple.

"But…"

"Fuck yer damn nails. I'll fix 'em later," he cut her off, expecting her protest.

"We're going to Shakky's later," she huffed, and arched beneath him.

"Damn it." He groaned when she whimpered and rocked her hips into his hard length. It was too easy for him to make her hurt with desire, and he just had to pick that time. His breath fanned over her neck as he trailed back up to nip and tug at her ear, and her whole body felt hot beneath his heavy frame. "I want ya so bad, Kitten."

He relinquished her other arm when he captured her lips again, and she didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around his neck, freely giving in to him.

A half an hour later, he was helping her clean up her disheveled state and redo her ruined nail polish. His back and face was smeared with red polish, and when he ran a hand through his hair, he found some clumped together where her polish rubbed off while tugging at the strands. She had to help clean all of it off of him, too.

"See? That didn't take too long." Kid chuckled putting away his box of nail supplies. "Still got plenty of time before we gotta get to the bar."

She glared at him while blowing her nails dry.

"Now come on," he said, crouching down between her legs and wrapping his arms around her waist. "I want to go work on my bike."

"Wait – What are you - ?" She shrieked as she found herself scooped up, her legs and arms wrapping around him to hold steady as he stood straight. "Kid! Put me down!"

"Nope," he grunted stubbornly. He swayed in place as she struggled in his iron tight grip and turned toward the door.

"If you want to go work on your bike, then just go, you don't need to take me with you!"

"Nope. Yer comin' with me." He held to his decision, a hand going down to grope her butt under the guise of keeping her steady while he slowly trudged up the stairs. "I want the company."

She sighed in exasperation, but relented to the fact she was not going to have a choice in the matter. "Fine, I'll join you out there. Just put me down. I can walk."

"Nah, I like this more," he smirked. "Plus, you might ruin your nail polish on your toes again, Princess."

"You ruined it!" She accused as they walked out into the den.

He chuckled against her neck, pressing a kiss there. "Didn't hear ya complainin' 'bout it."

"Kid! Stop it!" She shrieked again.

A throat clearing broke into their bickering, and they both turned to see all of Kid's roommates staring in open shock from the couch.

"Uh, Kid? Could you not do that here?" Killer saw fit to ask.

"What?" Kid grunted, honestly confused. "I'm just headin' out to work on my bike."

"In your boxers, with your girlfriend wrapped around you?" Wire pointed out with an amused brow raised.

Kid looked down at his lack of clothing, while Nami buried her face against his shoulder to hide her crimson face. At least she had her clothes on again, but still.

"Whatever." Kid shrugged indifferently and set off toward his workspace again.

She took it back. She hoped Kid's clinginess passed. And soon.

* * *

**_A/N: _**_This was going to be a longer chapter, but I decided to cut it short because the tone of the next chapter is going to be very different. So, short, playful, fluff filled chapter to tide you over in the meantime._


	24. Chapter 24

_This chapter is edited because the smut at the end was so explicit I didn't think it was appropriate to post here (despite the fact I post so much smut here ahahaha). There is about 4,000 words of smut I took out of here, but the full version is available on my tumblr (kagehime3prompts - titled Possession: Learning How to Fight and Forgive). I really want to post the whole thing here, and I probably could get away with it, but I know some of you don't need the smut, so I won't make you read it. One thing does happen in the smut, but it's very vague, just a tiny hint, and it will be addressed entirely in the next chapter so you don't have to read it (it's so vague, those that read it probably won't think of it until the next chapter, too)._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_Learning How to Fight and Forgive_

Shakky's was lively that Saturday evening, all the regulars crowding the bar, celebrating the height of the weekend. They had expected as much, but with a word of warning to Shakky ahead of time, she opened up a private room in the back for their group to chat without being disturbed. It was a good thing she had done so, otherwise Nami and Killer would have been struggling to keep Kid focused on the business at hand rather than rising to Apoo's constant goading.

They had enough of a struggle getting him to the back room, but they managed well enough after Nami reminded him the reason they were there.

"Nami!" Luffy called out as soon as they walked through the door, and before she knew it, he was right in front of her, hands on her cheeks, glaring at the bruising around her eye. "Those assholes," he growled, "I'm gonna beat 'em up for this."

She gave a hint of a smile, relieved Luffy was the same as he always was. "Just try not to rush into anything until we talk to Jinbei," she sighed, pushing him back for some space. Neither of their fishmen friends had arrived yet, and it was best to know everything that was happening in their district before waging a war on them. "Where is he, anyway? Hachi, too?"

"They're on their way," Sanji answered, shoving Luffy out of the way to inspect her next. "You're welcome to stay with us, you know. Just say the word and we'll clean up your old room for you."

Kid had stayed behind her, his arm at her waist. At Sanji's suggestion, she felt his grip tighten on her hip, and she reached to rest her hand on his, keeping him calm as she smiled at her friend.

"No, I'm fine where I am," she reassured. "Kid's right, anyway. If they found out about me, where I live, where I go to school, then I'm sure they know about you guys, too. I know I'd be safe at your house, but this gang is probably expecting me to stay with you, not with Kid. I'm safer there for now."

Sanji hummed and sent a disapproving glare at Kid. "That may be, but he still allowed you to get hurt."

"I didn't fucking allow anything," Kid growled. Nami was prepared to hold him back, but luckily he stayed put and merely held onto her tighter. "I wanted to have one of my friends with her that day, but she said she'd be fine."

"When Killer told me he was picking me up, he specifically told me to wait inside, Sanji-kun. I went outside where they found me. I should have listened – " Nami began but was cut off as Kid growled lowly.

"Ya shouldn't have had to worry about it in the first place," Kid said. "Ya shouldn't have to hide from anyone."

Nami smiled up at him, her hand squeezing his as he relaxed. The tension in the room began to settle as Sanji nodded his agreement, and she breathed a sigh of relief when he backed down. Her friend couldn't find fault in what Kid said, everyone just wanted her safe.

"Alright," the blond smiled at her. "As long as this guy's keepin' those shitheads away from you, then I guess it's fine. But if you change your mind…"

"Yes, yes," she waved him off. For now she would stay with Kid where she knew she was safest.

"How bad is her place?" Zoro asked, looking at Kid.

"It ain't pretty," Kid shrugged. His thumb brushed mindless circles on her waist, either to keep her calm, or himself. "Painted the fucking walls with that shark symbol and destroyed all her stuff."

"I got pictures," Franky said where he and Robin sat at the table. He held up his cell phone and glanced at Nami with a sympathetic smile. "Pretty sure the girlie doesn't want to see it again, though."

Nami shook her head. She definitely didn't want to see her place again.

The guys went to stand behind Franky, peering over his shoulder at the pictures, while Nami took a seat at the opposite side of the three tables pushed together for their group. Kid sat on her left with his arm draped over her shoulder, and Killer on her right, the blond grabbing a pitcher of beer Shakky had set out for the group and pouring out drinks for the three of them.

"Geez, Nami," Usopp cringed at one of the photos and looked up at her, "this is pretty bad. Have you called Nojiko yet?"

"Not yet. I want to hear from Hachi and Jinbei first. If Cocoyashi isn't in any danger, then I don't want to worry everyone back home." She turned to Luffy who was standing behind Franky with dark eyes and an unreadable expression. He wasn't happy, and she wondered what he might be thinking as he hummed lowly.

When he looked up, his eyes landed on Nami first. Luffy blinked, looked at Kid, and then Killer… and then shoved his pinkie up his nose with a surly frown. "And who the hell are you guys?"

Killer didn't outwardly react, but Kid choked on his beer as he took a sip. His brow cocked at the young man while Nami sighed. "Luffy, this is Killer," she gestured to her right and the blond gave a short wave. She glanced to her left, saying, "And this is Kid… my boyfriend. I told you about him."

Luffy's eyes widened when it clicked, head snapping between her and Kid as he gaped. "This is the guy!?" He shrieked, and she groaned at his disbelieving reaction. Kid was frowning beside her, obviously taking offense. She nudged his leg under the table and earned a grunt, a promise he would stay calm. He didn't need the warning, not after Luffy suddenly cackled, and turned to Kid with a wide grin. "You must be pretty brave to date Nami."

"Luffy!" Nami screamed and nearly climbed over the table to attack him. Kid was bellowing with laughter, his head tossed back, while Killer tried to restrain her. "What the hell is that supposed to mean!?"

Luffy continued to laugh until Sanji came up behind him and landed a solid kick to the back of his head. "It's only Nami-san's beauty that's terrifying!"

"Nope, pretty sure it's just Nami that's scary," Zoro muttered, and Nami once more tried to escape Killer's hold to attack her other friend.

She managed to get free and scrambled around the table before Zoro could think to escape. He had three large lumps sprouting from his head a second later, laid out on the table with Nami growling above him, fist poised to strike again. "Who the hell are you calling scary?"

"Are you even looking at yourself, witch!" He shouted up at her, nursing the bumps. She punched him again. "What the hell!? Stop that!"

"Kid, please control your girlfriend," Killer groaned, slumping back into his seat.

"No way," Kid barked with another loud laugh. "This is awesome. I like seeing Kitten's feisty side."

Five minutes later, Zoro and Luffy were barely clinging to consciousness, waving their surrenders. Sanji was rubbing a bump on his head after making a lewd comment that nearly spurred Kid to jump in, but Nami beat him to the punch – literally. Usopp was hiding behind Franky, his hand clamped over his mouth before he said something to earn his own beating, while Franky and Robin sat there chuckling at the scene. Kid was grinning like an idiot, and Killer was finishing off a second pint while trying to ignore the commotion.

"Right," Nami huffed, seeing her point was made. "I should probably introduce you guys. Kid, Killer, this is Zoro," she said, pointing to the green haired man growling on the floor in front of her. "Luffy," she said, finger pointing to the young man wearing a straw hat, muttering incoherently beside his friend. "Kid, you already know Franky and Robin," she gestured to the couple who gave the two men a wave. "The idiot with the long nose hiding behind Franky is Usopp," she introduced, the young man with dark skin and tightly curled hair sent her a glare. "And then that's Sanji-kun," she said, pointing a thumb to the blond with chin length hair, a bang covering his right eye. Sanji was lighting a cigarette but sparred a nod to the two men.

Introductions done, Nami retook her seat. Kid was still grinning and she gave him a bemused look. "What?" She asked, but he merely chuckled and slung his arm around her shoulder. Rolling her eyes, she turned away to enjoy her beer while her friends took their seats.

"Nami, I've already discussed things with your landlord," Robin began. "Jinbei's handling everything with the police, and hopefully the damage claims will be mostly covered by insurance. You can get out of your lease, but it'll cost you two month's rent and you'll need to forfeit your full deposit."

Nami frowned at the charges, but she wasn't surprised. She turned to Zoro sitting across from her, guzzling a pint of beer. "Zoro, I'm collecting your full debt, plus interest," she said firmly.

He spat out his beer and gaped at her. "I don't have that kind of cash, witch!"

"You should have thought of that before borrowing so much money from me!"

"You said I could pay you back with favors!"

"Well things have changed and I need the cash!" She shouted, and began ticking off everything she would have to pay for on her fingers. "There's the fee to get out of my lease, the deposit and first month's rent on a new place, I have to replace most of my furniture, and on top of all that I have school to pay for."

"I thought you had plenty in savings?" He grumbled, calmer with narrowed eyes. "I'll help ya with what I can, but you shouldn't be that strapped for cash."

"You can stay with me as long as ya need, Kitten. I ain't gonna charge ya rent or anythin', either," Kid added next to her. "Ya don't have to move into a new place that quick."

"I know," she said, sparing him a grateful smile. "But I'd feel better if I can get settled into a new apartment sooner." He frowned and she caught his lip twitch with a stifled growl. She reached out to pat his thigh under the table. "I don't want to put you and the guys out any longer than necessary."

"Ya ain't puttin' us out," he huffed, but seemed to relent to her wishes, albeit grudgingly, and looked away as he propped his chin in the palm of his hand.

She caught Killer glance at Kid with a stoic frown, and then clear his throat, leaning forward. "Well, for now it would be best you stay at our place, at least until we take care of this threat."

"That would be ideal," Robin nodded her agreement, sharing a knowing look with him. She smiled calmly at Nami. "It's not safe for you to be living alone right now. If you're unwilling to stay with the boys," she gestured toward Luffy and the others, "and you feel you've outstayed your welcome with Eustass-san, you can come stay with me, but I'd feel better, myself, if you remained where you were."

Nami nodded, she knew it was best. Her only hesitance in staying with Kid was how it would be when she left. If she stayed too long, she might never want to leave.

"Looks like you're stuck with me for a while," she sighed, nudging Kid under the table to get his attention on her. His shoulders relaxed noticeably and he gave her a lopsided smirk. "Hope I'm not too much trouble."

"Spoiled princess like you?" He chuckled. "Yer no trouble at all."

She smiled wide at him, and then let it fall away as she shot her attention back to Zoro. "You're still paying me back, Zoro."

"Damn it, witch!" He snapped, spitting out his beer once again.

Their argument was interrupted by the door opening, and Nami turned to see Jinbei leading Hachi into the room. Her eyes went wide and she jumped from her chair when she saw her Hachi leaning most of his weight on the other fishman. He was covered in bruises and bandages, the white gauze wrapping around his chest stained a faint red in some places. He was breathing heavily and she could see sweat on his brow. He looked like he could collapse right there.

"Hachi! What happened to you!?" She asked, coming up to his left side to take some of his weight and help Jinbei steer him toward a chair. Sanji pulled the chair out, helping the octopus fishman sit as Jinbei pulled away with a tired sigh.

"Nuuu, Hody got to me," Hachi explained through a pained grimace. "He found out I was hanging out with you guys, and that I had been keeping you a secret, Nami."

"Any fishmen known to be friendly with humans is currently being targeted by Hody's gang," Jinbei explained, the large whale shark fishman taking a seat beside his old friend. "Hachi was already in danger just by resisting Hody's will and refusing to join his gang, his friendship with you all only gave him reason to attack."

Nami and her friends frowned at the news.

"I didn't say a word about you, though," Hachi insisted. "I don't know how he found out where you live, but I swear I didn't tell him a thing."

"It's okay, Hachi, I know you wouldn't put me in danger," she reassured, grasping one of his hands to squeeze. She didn't go back to her seat between Kid and Killer, instead she pulled up one to stay beside her old friend.

"I'm so sorry you got hurt," he sniffled and she squeezed his hand harder.

"It's not your fault."

He nodded, but still his head hung out of guilt. He had been trying so hard to make up for what he had done in the past, she knew he would never sell her out.

She looked down the table to see Kid glaring while Killer appeared confused. She sighed, and managed to smile as she looked back at the fishman. "Hachi was in Arlong's gang with me," she explained to them. She heard Kid growl and Killer hum thoughtfully, but her smile only widened. "He's not such a bad guy, though. Sweetest one in the gang, honestly."

"Nami," Hachi whimpered, his gaze as apologetic as it always was with her, and squeezed her hand.

"I take it they know all about Arlong?" Jinbei asked, leaning forward to look between the two unfamiliar men.

"They do," she said and gestured toward them. "This is Kid and Killer, by the way. Guys, this is Jinbei."

They all nodded in greeting. Jinbei sighed, sending Kid a somber gaze. "If you're going to be angry with anyone over what happened to Nami as a child, then direct your anger at me. It's my fault Arlong wasn't in prison where he belonged in the first place."

"What?" Kid growled, leaning forward until Nami raised a hand to interrupt.

"It's fine. I don't hold a grudge against him for that mistake. It was hard, but I wouldn't be who I am now if it weren't for all that happened, and I wouldn't have met everyone here." She smiled as he relaxed, though he continued to frown. "Anyway," she continued, turning to Jinbei, "we're not here to place blame on anyone. We need to figure out what to do before anyone else gets hurt."

Jinbei nodded. "That is true, but we cannot act rashly – "

"I'm gonna beat him up!" Luffy interrupted, jumping from his seat. He had been strangely silent, Nami realized, but now he was fuming with anger all over again.

"You can't!" Jinbei shouted. "There is a lot going on in Fishman District, you can't just rush in and start punching people like you normally do!"

"I don't care! This guy is hurting my friends!"

"I'm with him," Kid agreed, slumping back in his chair with his arms crossed. "I won't let these pricks keep coming after Nami."

"Same here," Zoro grunted, Sanji nodding at Luffy's other side. Even Franky seemed to like that plan, and Killer didn't look inclined to disagree with his friend, either.

"You guys," Nami sighed. "We should listen to Jinbei-chan. He knows what's happening down there."

"Nami's right," Usopp piped up, only to duck when Kid shot him a glare.

"Jinbei," Robin began calmly. "We really cannot allow these attacks to continue, but could you shed some light on what is happening in the district so we know what to expect."

"Hody's taken control of all the gangs," he said with a tired sigh. "He practically has an army of fishmen now. There had been a few gangs holding out, but after you were attacked on campus, Nami," he paused to look down the table at Kid, and Nami glanced between the two, brows furrowed in confusion. "Someone was asking questions that night and he apparently attacked two guys from one of the gangs holding out. They said he was a human with dark red hair known to be working security at one of the casinos." Her head snapped back to Kid, eyes narrowed on her boyfriend who pointedly looked away, glaring at the wall. "That was the final argument Hody needed to get them to join up with him."

"You said you only scared them, Kid," she bit out.

He turned back to her with a stubborn frown. "And I did," he growled. "Couple black eyes and missing teeth. I wouldn't call that a fucking attack, and they were definitely scared."

"They weren't even a part of this!" She yelled. "You didn't have to attack them."

"Did ya not hear what I just said!? That ain't an attack. If I had attacked 'em, they wouldn't have been conscious to join this shithead who's after you!" He hollered back. "I asked 'em some questions 'bout this gang. They refused to say anything but they obviously knew somethin'. I punched 'em a few times and left. That's it."

"That's what I would have done," Zoro grunted, earning a dark glare from Nami.

"Same here," Sanji agreed, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Though I doubt I would have held back that well. Surprised the brute managed it."

Kid snarled at him, but stayed in his seat as Zoro chuckled.

"Nah, he's right. I'd say you did hold back, and that's sayin' a lot," Zoro said, leaning back in his chair. Nami's stare hardened on him again, but he returned it with one of his own. "Back down, Nami. You know damn well we all would have done the same thing. You'd be just as likely to hurt someone for answers if someone you cared about was in danger. And don't you dare lie," he pointed at her in warning. "I remember a certain crooked cop who had to face your wrath, too."

"You even hurt a child to keep him from going after Arlong," Usopp pointed out, shrinking away when she turned her glare on him, but he pressed on. "I know you did it to keep him from getting killed, not to protect Arlong, but you're not one to hold back, either."

Nami fell back in her chair, arms crossed in defeat, at least for the moment. Why were they taking his side? Sure, she would probably do the same thing, but she knew how to hold back, especially if she knew there was more to the situation. She shot Kid a look from the corner of her eye to see him frowning at her. She half expected him to be gloating, but there was a wariness in his gaze that told he knew he screwed up, even if her friends were defending his actions.

"It doesn't matter," Hachi broke in, pausing to take a raspy breath. Nami turned away from Kid, fuming silently as she listened to the other fishman. "Hody would have gotten them to join up with him, anyway. I'm not the only fishman he's attacked for associating with humans. The other gangs are terrified of him, especially the ones that have long running partnerships with human run gangs. If they still refused to partner up with him, he would have just attacked them until they agreed… or were wiped out entirely."

"His own people?" Nami asked with a gasp. Even Arlong would never do that, not to fellow fishmen, not to his brothers and sisters. His hatred was focused entirely on humans, and even he knew how to be indifferent toward them if he needed to be. He wanted to use humans, make them subservient. He only killed them if they didn't follow his rules. Even if a fishman was nice to a human, or friends with them, he wouldn't disrespect them for it. He'd only hurt a fishman in a normal fight, to steal their money or beat them into submission, at least that was what he did when he was younger.

"Hody is nothing like Arlong," Hachi explained, turning to Nami as if he could read her thoughts. "He didn't know why Arlong and the rest of us were so angry and frustrated with humanity, he doesn't know our dreams to be a part of that world, doesn't know that our dreams were destroyed and all we could do was fight for some place in the world. He sees fishmen who befriend humans as traitors. Even Arlong is a traitor to his people because of you, Nami."

"All Hody knows is hatred," Jinbei added. "He doesn't know the hopes and dreams we had been fighting so long for."

"So then we beat him up!" Luffy jumped back into the conversation. "I don't care if he has an army. This guy's hurting his own people _and_ my friends."

"We need a plan," Jinbei groaned.

"Screw a plan! If we beat him up and send him to jail, then he can't hurt anyone else."

"You'll only make him a martyr!" Jinbei argued back. "You cannot be careless with this one. If you take him out, you'll only be proving him right. You need allies within the district, other fishmen who would stand alongside you and fight for their own peace." Luffy growled, his fist balled up tight, but held back as Jinbei finished. "Let me talk to the mayor and his family. They haven't been immune to this violence, either. They are well loved by most of the people. If they ask for our help, then you can attack, but until then…"

Luffy threw himself back into his chair with an irritated huff. He glanced at Kid, sharing an angry frown with the other man, and Nami knew there was no way those two were going to sit by and wait.

"I guess we don't have much of a choice," she sighed, sending Jinbei a sympathetic look. "The guys will only wait around so long, but hopefully we can keep them in check long enough for you to clear things with the leadership there."

"Thank you. I should only need a day or two," he nodded gratefully.

"That gives me plenty of time to get my robot finished," Franky grinned, breaking the tense atmosphere with a grin.

"Ah! Your robot! I want to see it!" Luffy turned to him, eyes alight with excitement. Kid looked distracted, too, though he didn't show it as openly.

"Come by the shop tomorrow," Franky said and turned to Kid. "You too. I know you've wanted to take a look at it. I have a super awesome idea for a weapon I'd like ya to look at. It involves magnets."

"Do you build stuff, too?" Luffy was practically crawling over the table as he grinned at Kid, the older man taken aback at the reaction. He managed to nod, and Luffy's smile became impossibly wide. "That's so cool! You should definitely come by! Franky's robots are the best!"

She normally would find it cute as Kid sank into an easy conversation with Franky and Luffy, especially when Usopp willingly joined to talk about his inventions, but she was still mad at Kid and couldn't allow herself to appreciate the fact he was getting along with her friends. She did smile when she saw Killer chatting comfortably with Zoro and Sanji, the three talking lowly over their pints of beer. She was happy to see all of them warming up to each other. But Kid… she glared at the side of his head until he glanced at her and paused in his conversation to send back his own irritated gaze.

"Nami," Robin broke into the silent standoff and she snapped her head around to see the older woman standing behind her. "Let's go have a glass of wine with Shakky," she smiled.

Nami frowned at her, well aware that she was trying to get her away to talk privately. She was grateful for the distraction, and stood with a nod. She felt Kid's gaze on her as she wound her arm through Robin's, and shot him a venomous glare before escaping out into the bar.

"You're really upset with him," Robin mused quietly. "The boys do have a point, you know…"

"That isn't what I'm upset with," she bit out with a low growl. "I _knew_ he was going to hurt someone that night. There was no way he'd hold back, but he said – "

"Ahh," Robin hummed, understanding dawning on her, "so that's what's bothering you."

Nami huffed, throwing herself into a barstool and sinking her head into her arms atop the counter. "I don't think he's ever lied to me before."

Shakky came over to them, eyeing Nami's hunched posture curiously. Robin smiled. "We could use some wine, please."

"Coming right up, ladies," she nodded, her hand patting the top of Nami's head sympathetically.

A few minutes later, she was standing on her side of the bar, a bottle of wine in hand, and briefed on what was bothering Nami. Shakky hummed as the girls sipped their drinks, her gaze up toward the ceiling in thought. "So Eustass-chan lied to you?" She asked rhetorically, eyes slipping back to her. "Not to play devil's advocate, but you haven't always reacted that well to his violence. He shouldn't 'a lied, but I'm not surprised he did. He's too smitten with you to risk a repeat of that one night, probably."

"That may be so," she huffed, holding stubbornly to her anger. "But I'm still mad at him."

"As you should be," Shakky chuckled around her cigarette. "I'm surprised you didn't drag him out back to scream at him again."

"Oh, I'll scream at him later," she growled. "This isn't the time or place for that kind of fight, though. I don't like being lied to, not by him."

"He does seem to be honest most of the time," Robin reasoned. "He's been rather unabashed in stating how he feels in the past, it's strange to see him lie. Even if it's a white lie."

Nami narrowed her eyes in response, glaring at her glass. The thought of Kid lying about anything bothered her for that very reason. She agreed with the guys, she didn't have a reason to get upset, not when he was doing what any of them would do. She admitted after that last big fight that it was unfair of her to get mad at him when he was merely defending her, and this time she would admit she couldn't be mad about his reaction to her attack. She had honestly expected as much, and he didn't even go as far as she thought he would, assuming what he said in the back room wasn't a lie, too. In all the time she had known Kid, she knew him to be honest to the point it could drive her insane, but now she wondered if he had lied to her in the past about anything. Lying was something she did – she was a thief and a con artist, it was part of her arsenal when she needed it. Kid was a fighter, like Luffy, brash and honest and absolutely infuriating.

"Oi! Nami!" Kid called out, breaking into her thoughts. She looked up from her wine glass to glare at him as he stood outside the door to the back room, Killer at his side. His expression was blank and guarded, his hands stuffed in his pockets. If he was worried about her mood, he didn't show it. "Ya ready to go?"

She frowned, and then looked at Robin who gave her a reassuring pat on the arm. "Just talk to him," she whispered, and Nami nodded.

She downed the wine in her glass, said her goodbyes to the ladies at the bar, and turned toward Kid and Killer. She didn't say a word to either of them, still sorting through her thoughts, and brushed by to peek into the back.

"I'll see you guys later," she waved to her friends with a bright smile. She pointed toward Hachi. "And you, get some rest."

"I will, Nami," the fishman smiled.

She turned to leave, the others' goodbyes echoing behind her, and walked past Kid and Killer, wordlessly leading the way to the door. They followed after her, just as silent, until they were out in the parking lot and Nami smiled back at the blond.

"Killer, can you sit in the front on the way back?" She asked. "I need to think."

The blond glanced nervously at his friend, but grunted and moved by to get into the front of Kid's car. Kid glared at her as she went to the back on the passenger side.

"Oi, are ya seriously givin' me the silent treatment now?" He grumbled.

She glared, and pointedly got into the car without responding. She heard him curse under his breath, stomping to the driver's side, and threw himself into his seat before slamming his door shut.

"For fuck's sake, Nami, if ya got a problem with me, just say it," he growled as he started his car and backed out. His temper was razor thin, only worsened as she silently stared out the window. He took off with a squeal of tires.

"Kid," Killer warned sharply as he gripped the handle above the door during a tight turn, but the red head merely sneered.

"I'm not fighting with you here," Nami explained, eyes glued to the passing street.

"Fucking… _damn it_," Kid bit out, and Nami glanced up to see his hand tightening around the wheel, his skin white and taut. He didn't say anything else, and they drove in tense silence back to his house.

The moment they were in the house, Killer vanished up to his room. Wire and Heat both had to work that night, but she saw Wire's car out front, so he had to be home then, and she imagined Killer popped in to give him a word of warning. Nami didn't know, nor did she care as she stormed down to the basement, Kid right behind her, stomping down the stairs.

"You heard yer fuckin' friends," he shouted after slamming the basement door behind him. "Ya can't be mad about this!"

She spun to face him and yell back. "What they said has nothing to do with why I'm mad, Kid!"

"Fuck that! Yes it does! Ya always get pissy when I hurt someone, and I know that's why yer actin' like a cold bitch to me now!" He argued back as he came to tower over her. The insult made her want to slap him, but she settled on sneering at him as he continued to holler down at her. "Yer friends would'a done the same thing as me, Nami, and I know ya wouldn't be throwin' this hissy fit with them over it. And they said yer no different, you'd have gone and pulverized whoever wronged you, so don't go actin' all high and mighty like you're better than me!"

"I am not acting like that! I know exactly what I'd do if one of my friends got hurt, but I also know better than to go charging in and attack!" She snapped back. "But that isn't why I'm mad at you, Kid!"

"Then what the fuck's yer problem if it's not that!?"

"You lied to me!" She shrieked and he leaned back, eyes wide with surprise. "You said you only scared them!"

"And I did!" He argued, futilely.

"No! That isn't the whole story! For all of your faults," his eyes narrowed on her as she yelled, "the one thing I never expected you to do was lie to me about something. You've always been honest with me, to the point I've wanted to strangle you sometimes, but now I don't know if I can trust what you say. I don't care that you hurt them, all that matters is that you lied to me about it! What else have you lied to me about!?"

"Nothing!" He shouted, but she narrowed her eyes on him, disbelieving what he said. "Fuck! I've never lied to you, Nami! And ya shouldn't get mad at me about this either! You've lied to me plenty in the past!"

"I'm a thief and con artist! I lie!" She knew he had a point, but she didn't feel like backing down.

He leveled his face with hers, snarling. "Then I should be askin' you what you've lied to me about. Huh, _Kitten?_" Her eyes narrowed on him. "I already know ya tried to lie that one night we got in a bad fight, and I forgave ya for that. Anythin' else you've lied about since we got together?"

"That's the only time," she said quietly, and then shook her head to dispel her guilt over that. "But that isn't the point! I've always trusted you to be honest but now that you've lied – "

"Fuckin'" he interrupted, standing straight with another growl as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Just give up, Nami! I know I fucked up, alright! I know I should'a been honest with you! Is that what ya want to hear!?" His hand left his nose and he sent her an exhausted glare. "I didn't want ya askin' anymore questions that night, and I didn't want ya gettin' upset with me. I just wanted to fuckin' be with you after ya got hurt and I didn't want to fight about something stupid like that. It was bad enough I wasn't happy with bein' in the dark about everything, havin' ya get mad at me over that would've just made it worse."

"I knew you were going to do something," she huffed, arms crossed over her chest.

"Yeah, and you were right," he said gruffly, his eyes hardening. "Ya want me to be honest? Fine. I punched their fuckin' lights out. Black eyes, one of 'em's missin' some teeth now. Probably broke the other guy's nose. I would've done a lot fuckin' worse if they had that gang's mark on them, too. I would've torn 'em limb from limb for bein' apart of the group that hurt someone I care about." She frowned at his honest account of that night, as well as his feelings. He looked away, shaking his head as he sneered. "I fuckin'…" He paused, lips curling with words he couldn't say, seeming to fight with himself about something. "Yer _important_ to me, and I refuse to lose you to some pricks with a grudge against humans, or against you, or whatever their fuckin' issue is. And I damn well don't want t' lose you 'cause of somethin' I do to protect you. Ya mean too much to me – "

She cut him off as she grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him down to slam her lips to his. He stared at her wide eyed for a moment, then she nipped his lower lip, and he grinned before returning the kiss. She was still hurt he thought he had to lie to her, but he just honestly told her how he felt, and she knew it was all true. She knew he was holding something back, but what he was willing to say made her heart race. She knew he cared about her, wanted her to be safe, wanted her to be with him, but she could see it in his pained expression, the struggle to find words to express himself, that there was so much more below the surface. It scared her, but she refused to be scared of him again.

He pushed her back to the bedroom, his hand sweeping over her cheek, into her hair as he tilted his head. The kiss turned hungry and passionate, and his other hand eagerly tugged at her shirt. She pulled back when it wrapped around her breast, and smacked him across the face.

"What the fuck was that for!?" He hollered, his hand abandoning her breast to nurse his stinging cheek.

"I'm still mad at you!" She screamed, chest heaving.

He stared at her, lip curling in an angry sneer until something clicked and he grinned salaciously. "Is that so?" He chuckled, eyes raking over her, focusing on her chest as it rose and fell with her quick breaths. His gaze settled on hers again while his hand curled tight in her hair and yanked her head back. His other arm dropped to wrap around her waist, and she didn't struggle as he tugged her against him. His lips found her ear, his breath fanned over her neck and she felt hot with anger and desire. "Does the Kitten want to get feisty with me tonight? Ya want to take yer anger out on me?" He chuckled and nipped at her ear, and she tried to shove him away when she felt a tingling sensation crawl down her neck, making her shiver with delight. He merely held her tighter and nipped again. "I do remember sayin' that the next time you were mad at me, I'd fuck the anger out'a ya. Are ya lookin' for that tonight, Nami?" He groaned as he pressed her flush to his body. She could feel his length hard against her stomach, and she bit back a gasp as his hand fell to grab her backside, pulling her up so her hips rolled into him. His lips burned at her throat as he pressed open mouth kisses to her, and her hands clutched his shirt to keep some sense of mind. "I'd be more than happy to help ya let off some steam."

She growled, or tried to as the sound got caught in her throat when his hand squeezed her bottom. She managed to shove him again. "You're the one who lied this time, I don't think you should be getting what you want out of our fight."

He chuckled and pulled back to grin down at her. "Says the woman who couldn't stop herself from kissin' me. Just admit it, yer only tryin' t' stay mad 'cause ya want an angry fuck from me." Her eyes narrowed at the crude wording, but his grin only grew more devilish. "But fine, I'll humor ya," he laughed. "I fucked up, so I guess ya gotta punish me, Kitten." He leaned down to level his face with hers, that wide smile not lessening one bit. "If it'll make ya stop bein' such a bitch t'me…" She growled at the repeated insult. "I'll let ya do whatever ya want to me tonight. Slap me, bite me… hell, spank me if ya want to. Give me whatever ya got. I loved seein' that feisty side back at the bar with yer friends, after all. I ain't afraid of ya gettin' real rough with me."

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully on him. "I can do whatever I want?" She asked, and he nodded with a quiet chuckle. "Anything at all?" She began to smirk. She had an idea.

"Heh, what's goin' through that devious mind a yers, Nami? I said anythin', and I mean it. Just spill."

"Can I tie you up?" She couldn't hold back her giggle as his eyes widened and grin fell away. She leaned in until her lips pressed softly to his. "You said I could do anything if it'll make me feel better."

He snorted, smile returning. "I guess I did…" He stole a short kiss. "Alright, my girl wants t' be kinky with me tonight- can't complain about that. Guess it's punishment for tyin' ya up in my workshop, too." Her laugh was cut off by another kiss, longer and gentler than the others, an unspoken but sincere apology. When he pulled back, his gaze was soft, but his grin remained sharp. "Have yer way with me tonight, Kitten."

One broken bed frame, three broken ties, and a broken prosthetic arm later, they weren't fighting anymore.

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_**A/N:** Oh, and thanks for your reviews guys. Since I'm now balancing three OP fics (well technically four but the LawNa one I'm posting to tumblr is going to be a one-shot, albeit a very long one) your reviews keep me going and focused. :)_


	25. Chapter 25

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

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_Thinking Toward the Future_

He was dreaming of pirates. Specifically he was a pirate captain, one of the greatest, naturally, and Nami was a two bit thief trying to steal from his ship. Even in his dreams she steals from him. He had her chained up in his brig and it would have had the makings of a fantastic sex dream except she kept carrying on about this reindeer she was looking for. Why she was searching for a reindeer on his ship was beyond his comprehension, but it was a dream and they rarely made sense.

The whole thing was giving him a headache, so he kissed her to shut her up and maybe get the dream back on track to more enjoyable visions. But then that stupid reindeer came out of nowhere and they weren't pirates anymore, and he was just running away from a monstrous, talking reindeer. He swears it was twice the size of his house and looked like it wanted to eat him.

He woke up just as its hoof came down on him.

He jolted and stiffened when he felt the air rush out of him, his body pinned beneath a weight that hadn't been there before. He was confused. Was he still dreaming? Was he trapped under that monster?

He groaned when the weight moved and raised his head to see Nami attempting to slide off his chest. She looked tired and annoyed as she bit back a groan, rolling off onto his side of the bed. He realized she had been trying to climb over him, and glared at the rude awakening.

She caught his stare and returned it. "I hate you."

_Well that was mean_, he thought to himself, eyes narrowing. "Fuck you. What'd I do?" He grumbled.

"Everything hurts," she whined and attempted to push herself out of bed.

_Oh,_ he thought, cocky grin spreading as he watched her sway, grab his dresser, and hobble toward the door. _Guess I deserved that._

She shot him a venomous glare when she heard him chuckle.

"You enjoyed it," he waved off her annoyance. She huffed and went out to the bathroom without another word.

He stretched out in bed, the movement making him wince as his injuries flared. His back was covered with deep scratches that stung where the sheets brushed against them. He had more of the same on his chest, along with bite marks and hickies he hoped stuck around for a while. His neck was stiff where she bit him hard during their last round of make-up sex sometime before dawn. He was pretty sure he woke his roommates when he yelled a few choice curses until she relinquished her hold, and if he didn't, her screaming a few minutes later probably did.

He was just pushing himself to sit on the edge of the bed when Nami came back in, looking ragged and worn. He almost felt bad, but he warned her, and he couldn't help but appraise his work as he stared at the bruising around her hips and waist, and the markings he left on her breasts and neck. If he wasn't exhausted, he would spend the rest of the day kissing every spot of skin he had marred the night before and take her again.

He was so thoroughly sated, he didn't even twitch when he guided her to straddle his lap. She slumped against his chest with a tired groan, sinking into him as his arm wrapped around her shoulders. He smiled at her relieved sigh, her breath fluttering over his chest. He squeezed her closer and dipped down to nuzzle her hair as her arms wound around him in a loose hug.

"Take it back," he grumbled, leaving a peck on her temple.

"Take what back?" She yawned and hugged tight around his waist.

He chuckled when he saw her eyes were closed, ready to fall back to sleep. "You don't hate me," he prompted, kissing her cheek.

She hummed, rubbed her face against his chest, and settled in his hold with a cute little smile. "No, I don't. But I'm tired and sore because of you."

He snorted. "That's why I said I'd pamper ya today, Princess."

Nami tilted her head up, chin resting on his sternum, and smirked with a brow raised. "I don't exactly see you pulling off breakfast in bed, Kid."

He growled, hand dropping to pinch her waist. "I was gonna try, but just for that yer gettin' cold Pop-Tarts for breakfast."

"Mmm, sounds delicious," she giggled, sitting up to wrap her arms around his neck. She gave him a peck and a teasing smile. "At least I know I won't get food poisoning."

"Tsh, have a little faith in me, ya spoiled brat," he huffed before smacking his lips to hers for another quick kiss, followed by another and another, trailing them over her cheek to her neck. She squirmed and laughed with his butterfly kisses, and her breath hitched when he nipped her ear hard. Maybe he wasn't as sated as he thought.

"Kid," she whined as he turned to push her down in bed. A hand was in his hair, desperately tugging while her other pressed to his forehead as he kissed down her throat. "Stop," she whimpered. He stopped and frowned at her. "I'm too sore," she pouted, hand brushing down his cheek. "Please give me a break today."

He hummed, and then pushed himself up for a hard peck. He wasn't surprised. He'd rather have her when she wasn't aching, and when she was willing. "'Kay," he agreed easily, pulling away to get out of bed. He smacked her thigh as he stood. "I'm makin' no promises on food, but I'll make an effort."

"As long as it's edible, I'll appreciate it," she laughed, foot reaching out to kick him.

He batted the limb away, brushing off her teasing with a cheeky grin as he went to slip on some baggy shorts. "Just be happy I'll bring ya anything at all after ya broke my arm," he said, gesturing to the prosthetic sitting on his dresser. The metal rod that acted as the ulna was sticking out from the composite skin. He still needed to take a closer look at it, see if the rod itself had snapped or if it just disconnected from the joint. He hoped it was the latter. The former would be costly and a pain in the ass to fix.

Nami sat up in bed, tucking her legs in at her sides, and pouted at him. He had a love-hate relationship with that damn pout. He couldn't even be mad at her, and she probably knew it. Technically it was his fault anyway. He could have begged and gotten her to untie him before he broke his arm freeing himself.

"Tsh," he hissed and came over, swooping down to kiss her cheek. "Stop that." Her pout deepened. He kissed it away. When he pulled back to see her bright smile, all he could think about was how much he loved that smile. Glowering, he spun away before he could voice those thoughts. "Sugar in yer tea, right?"

"Yes please," she sang in answer, and he headed upstairs to find something to eat.

The den was empty, the house quiet. He knew Killer and Heat had to work, Wire was probably napping up in his room. He glanced at the clock on the stove to see it was nearly two in the afternoon. He guessed that meant he could get away with making her lunch. That would be easier, especially with only one arm.

He put the kettle on for her tea and pulled a black mug from the cabinet. Crouching in front of the fridge, he looked through what options he had and settled on making her a grilled sandwich. He could usually manage that without burning down the kitchen. At least most of the time he could. If he had steak in there he'd go out back and grill that for lunch. That was something he could definitely do without ruining it, as long as she didn't want it cooked more than medium rare. Knowing her, she'd want it thoroughly cooked. Probably a good thing steak wasn't an option.

Sourdough bread, mayonnaise, some fancy mustard Killer bought, sliced turkey and ham, and slices of swiss cheese were piled together. He would have put lettuce and tomato on there, but cutting them with only one hand would be a nightmare. He barely managed spreading butter on the outside of the bread while the pan heated. It was a messy task keeping the sandwich together.

"She'd better fuckin' appreciate this," he grumbled to himself as he tossed the sandwich into the pan and listened to it sizzle.

He glanced back when he heard someone shuffle downstairs to see Wire yawning and scratching his chin. His attention returned to the stove to attempt to flip the sandwich, awkwardly balancing it all on a spatula. He managed to get it over without making it an ugly mess.

"What are you doing?" Wire grunted, peering over his shoulder.

"Making Nami lunch."

Wire pulled back to stare in open shock. Kid growled when his friend placed a palm to his forehead.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Checking to see if you're sick," Wire explained with an exaggerated frown. He chuckled when Kid shot him a glare. "You're doing something nice, plus you haven't burned the kitchen down yet. Couldn't help but worry."

"Fuck you," he muttered, then cursed under his breath when he looked back to the pan to see his lunch smoking. He quickly dumped the sandwich onto a plate to see one side charred. "Tsh. Fucking prick, you made me burn it."

"You had the heat too high," the other man waved as he went to dig in the refrigerator.

"It cooks faster," Kid frowned. He didn't want to sit there waiting for a fucking sandwich to toast. Higher heat meant quicker food.

"At least it's only one side. I'd say that's the best looking thing you ever made." Wire tried to appease. "Still hope you don't plan to give that to Nami."

Kid hummed in thought, staring at the food, and then agreed with a sigh. She'd tease the hell out of him for that burned side.

"Peel one of her tangerines for me," he ordered, nodding toward the bowl of fruit on the counter.

His friend sighed, but went to help despite his annoyance.

"So, what's up with catering to your girlfriend like this? Still makin' up for your fight last night?"

Kid snorted, grinning wide as he put a new sandwich in the pan. "What? You didn't hear us makin' up all night?"

"Killer warned me. I put in earplugs." Wire reached over the stove to turn down the heat, sending Kid a stern look.

"Smart move," Kid chuckled. "Had her screaming at dawn."

"She's gonna kill you if she hears you talking about it."

"Good thing she ain't gettin' out of bed today," he grinned. "She's too sore. That's why I'm bringin' her lunch."

He flipped the sandwich, glowering when the meat nearly slid out. He shoved it all back into place with the spatula, and stood back to watch the other side cook.

"Considerate," Wire nodded, holding out a peeled and divided tangerine for Kid to place on a new plate. He decided he would eat the burned attempt. Waste of perfectly good food to dump it in the garbage after it was singed a little. "Why aren't you wearing your arm?" Wire asked, finally taking notice. The guys were used to him wandering around without it in the morning, but that was usually when Killer was making him breakfast.

"I broke it," he stated. His friend's brow rose at his grin. "Also broke my bedframe and trashed a couple of ties."

"I'm extra glad I put in earplugs now," Wire sighed and went back to foraging for his meal. "And glad you two made up so easily." Kid hummed in question as he dumped Nami's sandwich onto a plate. A little black around the edges of the crust, but not too bad. "You guys have been doing well together," Wire continued. "We're all rooting for you."

Kid laughed quietly and shoved his friend in the back. "Thanks."

Wire returned the friendly push as he came over to turn on the oven, tossing a frozen pizza onto the counter. "Let me know when you guys are going after those fishmen, too. Wouldn't miss helping you beat those shitheads into the ground."

"Got it," he nodded, mood turning somber. That reminded him, he was supposed to go over to Franky's.

He poured the water for Nami's tea and stirred in a few scoops of sugar, grabbed some yogurt from the fridge, set it on the plate, and then stood back to stare at the lunch he managed to not destroy. If they had a 'Best Boyfriend' award, he'd totally own it.

And then he remembered something - How was he going to carry all that down with only one hand?

A heavy sigh from the nearby dinette table drew his confused gaze to Wire who had sat down while waiting for the oven to heat. He stood at Kid's obvious dilemma, disappeared into the pantry, and came out with a large tray.

"I'd help you take everything down, but considering what you guys were up to all night, I doubt Nami's decent," he explained while piling the plates, tea, and a can of cola for Kid onto the tray. It was probably true. She was naked when he came upstairs and didn't look like she'd make an effort to get dressed any time soon. "Just hope you can balance this without falling down the stairs."

"Tsh, I ain't a fucking moron. I can walk down the stairs and carry something," he said, frowning. His friend had a point, though.

He spun away, heading toward the back door, and went out to his workshop. He thought he saved his old prototype and dug through one of the cabinets by his workbench until he found it. The arm was dusted off with a rag, the joints tested to see they hadn't stiffened from disuse, and then snapped into place on his shoulder. The prototype was just a clunky metal skeleton, no skin to hide the bulky joints and bars, but it worked well enough.

Back in the house, he was able to hold the tray with his good hand while the metal arm braced his weight against the wall as he made his way downstairs. It creaked with the effort, but held together until he was in his room where he found Nami curled up in bed with a book. She had slipped into one of his shirts while he was upstairs. Disappointing she wasn't naked anymore, but she always looked cute in his cloths, so he couldn't really complain.

"Sandwiches?" Nami asked, perking up when he set the tray on the bed beside her. "Grilled sandwiches? I didn't even hear the smoke alarm go off."

"Tsh, I only burned the one and it was Wire's fault for distracting me," he grumbled, taking his plate and moving to sit with the tray between them.

"They look good," she smiled, leaning over to flutter her lips against his cheek. He refused to smile, despite the pride welling in his chest. She wasn't finished speaking. "Or… they at least look edible," she giggled.

"Just fuckin' eat yer lunch."

Giggling to herself, she grabbed her plate and dug in. He silently gloated when he heard a quiet approving hum after her first bite, and stole sidelong glances to watch her devour the sandwich as it slowly fell apart in her hands.

"Messy," she commented while licking a dollop of mustard off her finger. "But good. Have you been practicing?"

He shrugged, mouth full of his sandwich. "Kinda," he grunted after swallowing. "How do you like yer steak cooked?" He asked with a thoughtful frown.

"I think Sanji-kun usually cooks mine medium or medium well depending on the cut," she said and popped a tangerine slice into her mouth. "Why?"

"Curious," he answered. "I ain't bad at cookin' on the grill. 'Specially steak."

She laughed, taking a sip of her tea before setting it back on the tray to return to the last bites of her sandwich. "Then you'll have to make me a steak dinner one of these days."

He hid his gloating smile as he ate.

He liked making plans with her. It meant there was something to look forward to, even if it was a simple meal. It meant there was a future that he was included in, no matter how small. It meant she wasn't looking back at the past, at his mistakes, at her doubts. She was looking ahead to the next day and the next, unworried of what he might do wrong again.

He had noticed over the last few weeks, and especially since she moved in, that she had become comfortable in their relationship. She wasn't holding him at a distance, wasn't walking on eggshells, afraid something or someone would set him off, she was open and honest in the affection she gave him. She accepted that he would have a violent reaction to the gang targeting her, and that meant she was accepting that part of him, the part she was so wary of in the beginning. She took comfort in his presence, valued what he did for her, and showed that she trusted him.

He hoped it stayed that way. He'd do whatever it took to see that it did.

Their lunch finished, Nami helped load their plates onto the tray. He took the dirty dishes out to the basement living area to get them out of the way; he'd take them to the kitchen before he left. When he came back into the bedroom, he went to his dresser to look at his arm, Nami moving to kneel on the side of the bed and watch.

He had a few tools in the arm's storage case that he used mainly to check the joints and circuitry, or help pop a joint back into place if he had trouble doing it on his own. He had a feeling they weren't going to be enough to fix his arm this time around.

He pulled out a box cutter and sliced open the skin of his prosthetic arm. He heard a quiet "ew" from Nami and glanced over to see her grimace. Ignoring her, he went back to the arm to flap the tissue and clip it down to look at the forearm.

"Shit," he hissed, prodding at the broken rod. It had snapped from the coupling at the wrist, and to make it worse, the wire acting as the ulnar nerve was frayed.

"That bad?" Nami asked. He didn't have to look to know she was pouting.

"Yep," he grunted. He unclipped the tissue, letting it fall back into place, and threw his arm into its case with an annoyed growl. Nami whined and he spared her a short look to see her lip quivering. He rolled his eyes at the theatrics. "I ain't mad at you, so stop lookin' at me like that." She gave him a more honest frown in response. He turned away, staring at the arm in thought. There was no way around it, he needed his arm fixed properly and he couldn't do it himself. He might manage well enough to weld the bar back together, but the circuitry was damaged and he could risk damaging it further by replacing the wire on his own. His head fell back with a sigh, and he ran his hand over his face. "I gotta run over to Franky's in a bit. I'll have him look at it. Think he'll do me a favor and fix it?"

"I'm sure he would, but if he gives you trouble, he owes me money. I'll talk to him for you."

Kid snorted, amused. "Ya got everyone under yer thumb, huh?"

"Just about," she chirped. "Never hurts to have a little financial leverage over your friends."

"Yer definitely one sick and greedy little bitch," he said with a bark of laughter. She stuck her tongue out at him, and he grinned. "But, wouldn't have ya any other way, 'specially if I can use it to my own advantage." She laughed, and he turned to close up the case. "Don't know if you'll want to use that leverage with Franky after I tell him how I broke this, though."

Nami's amusement vanished at his remark. She sat up straight and leveled a glare on him. "You wouldn't…"

"What do ya mean?" His brow rose as he schooled his expression into a stoic frown. "He's gonna ask what happened to damage it like that, and I ain't gonna lie."

"You are absolutely going to lie, Kid." She snapped, pointing at him in warning.

"Thought ya said you liked me better when I was honest?" He was having a hard time holding back his grin. He could see her temper thinning rapidly with the subject.

"Not when it comes to discussing our _sex life_," she hissed, "with my friends."

He couldn't help but throw his head back with a loud laugh at her embarrassment. It was too damn adorable.

"Well tough shit. The guy needs to know what kind of force I put on it, not to mention the torque to make it snap like that. Even if I leave out the sex, he's gonna wonder why I was tied up."

"I don't care if he wonders! You are not going to say a word!"

"Tsh, it's no big deal," he said dismissively, turning away as she ground her teeth. He went to his closet to find something to wear, listening to Nami growl behind him the whole time. "Hell, I was talkin' with Wire about it upstairs earlier."

"You did not!" She shrieked at him. When he sent her a wide grin over his shoulder, she groaned and fell to her side, wrapping her comforter around herself until he could only see a sliver of ginger hair sticking out. "I am never having sex with you again, Kid."

"Liar," he chuckled, slipping on a black tank top and khaki cargo shorts.

"Nope. I mean it. Never again." Her reply was muffled, only making him laugh more as he made his way over to the bed.

He pulled at the blanket, fighting her tight grip until he caught a peek of a brown eye. With another laugh, he yanked the comforter away and stole a hard kiss. "Empty threats ain't enough to keep my mouth shut, Kitten," he teased. "You'll cave in a day."

Her cheeks puffed adorably and he felt his smile relax, warming against his will as he pushed a strand of hair off her face. He was absolutely screwed. He'd fallen too hard for her.

"Damn it," she pouted, admitting he was right. "It's not fair when you look at me like that."

"Oh?" His brow rose. He knew she noticed it every time he sank into those sappy feelings he had for her, but he never thought she was weak to the look he gave her those times. Seemed that he had some leverage of his own over her. "How am I looking at you right now?"

She pursed her lips, refusing to answer, so he took advantage and stole a soft kiss. She pouted when he pulled away. He wasn't about to argue that look and leaned in for another kiss, this time returned with a quiet moan. Nami embraced him as he slid over her, wrapping herself around him as their kisses grew longer and deeper. He chuckled when he dipped to the side, kissing lightly over her neck, making her mewl and arch against him.

"I guess yer right," he grinned, nipping at her ear. "This really ain't fair. You didn't even last five minutes."

She screamed indignantly, and shoved him away as he laughed. "You cheater!" She quickly rewrapped herself in the blanket, glowering at him from the opening she left around her face. "How much?"

"How much what?" He cocked a brow as he leaned back in bed, propping himself up on his metal arm.

"How much to keep you quiet?"

"Yer gonna bribe me?" He smirked. "Yer pretty desperate there, Kitten. But, I don't want yer money, so that ain't gonna work."

He watched her eyes narrow, frown turn thoughtful. She was thinking, calculating, and he was incredibly curious what she would come up with to buy his silence when money wasn't an option. For her, money should get her whatever she wanted, and he was inclined to agree, but with her, he didn't want something so shallow.

"Pictures," she said firmly after a minute of silent thought.

He looked at her, bemused. "Pictures?"

"Five of them." Her hand popped out from her blanket as she sat up to count out her offer. "Three of my most revealing outfits, one in a bikini, and one in a piece of your clothing." His eyes widened as he realized what she was suggesting. "All on your bike."

He blinked, still processing that she was going to give him what he jokingly asked for. He wanted those pictures, but never expected her to humor him, and least of all to keep him from talking about their nightly activities with her friends. There was no way he could pass up the opportunity to have sexy pictures of his girlfriend.

"One in a revealing outfit, one topless, one bikini, one in just my hoodie, and one naked," he gave as his counteroffer.

She smacked him upside the head for it. "Two revealing outfits, one _tastefully_ topless -"

"What the fuck's tastefully topless?" He asked, rubbing his head where she hit him.

She smacked him again. "Don't interrupt," she snapped. "One bikini, and one in your hoodie."

He hummed. At least he got the topless, he could settle with that. "Alright," he nodded, holding out his hand with a grin. "I'll keep my mouth shut for that much."

She snatched his hand up, squeezing it tight as they shook on the deal, and growled "Promise they will never be seen by anyone but you."

"Tsh, promise," he huffed. Like hell he'd let someone see his girlfriend in any sort of provocative poses. Maybe the ones where she's dressed, but the topless one would definitely be for his enjoyment alone. "So, what the hell should I tell yer friend?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Say you fell or something."

"Yer a pretty shitty liar for a con artist, ya know that?"

"The more elaborate the story, the harder it is to believe, Kid," she explained. "Just keep it simple."

"Got it," he nodded, pushing up for a peck. "Whatever gets me those sexy pictures." He grinned as he pulled away and got out of bed to finish getting ready. "Surprised yer willin' to go that far."

"I was already thinking of taking some as a birthday present for you." She gave him a cheeky smile when his eyes widened. "Now I have to come up with something else. At least I still have some time."

"Naked pictures," he suggested with a grin. She threw a pillow at his head, but he was certain she would have punched him if he was in reach.

"Pervert," Nami hissed.

He cackled, waving off her annoyance as he went to brush his teeth. "Let me tie ya up in my bed for a whole weekend," he called out a minute later around a mouth full of toothpaste. "That's all I need for a present."

"Pervert," she repeated loudly. He nearly chocked on his toothpaste, he laughed so hard.

When he came back into the bedroom, he found her glaring at him from her blanket cocoon. "What are ya thinkin' ahead to my birthday for, anyway?"

She merely shrugged.

It didn't matter that she didn't have an answer, all he cared about was the fact she saw them together long enough to celebrate at least one of their birthdays. They missed celebrating hers that year, Nami having moved back to town shortly before, so he wasn't quite on good enough terms to do something with her. He hoped she still saw a future far enough out that they could celebrate her next birthday together, along with whatever else came along.

"I'll think of somethin' less perverted for you to give me later," he chuckled. He came over to the bed with a black bandana and held it out to her. "Help me with my hair, then I gotta go."

Nami shed her blanket, letting it pool around her, and took the bandana. He knelt down next to the bed and tilted his head so she could wrap the cloth around his forehead. She tied it off at the back of his neck, then adjusted the front so his hair didn't fall into his face. As she gave it a few more tugs to get it in place, he leaned in for one last soft kiss.

"Get some rest while I'm gone," he ordered, standing up. "Need me to grab anything on my way back?"

"Hmm, I don't think so. I'll text you if I need anything," she said with a smile.

"'Kay. Later, Kitten." He reached out to ruffle her hair, chuckling at her shriek. He grabbed the case with his prosthetic, tucking it under his metal arm, and went out to pick up the tray to take to the kitchen before heading out the door.

He couldn't wait to see that robot.

* * *

A massive craftsmen house loomed at the end of one block just outside of town. There were three stories filled with windows, trimmed with warm tan oak and light grey stone. A large stone patio and beautifully manicured lawn took over the front of the house, rose bushes and flower beds following a walkway to the French doors at the entrance. The three car garage housed a blue, extended cab pick-up, a clean white sedan, and what he could only guess was supposed to be a lawn mower. The dual spoilers and off-road tires made it look like an altered ATV, but the blades hanging down underneath showed it was for the lawn.

Inside, just to the left of the front foyer, was a small study. Bookshelves were built on every wall save for one corner that housed a large planning table, covered with blueprints and notes, rulers and compasses, and all manner of pens and pencils. The shelves held architecture and engineering texts, models, and awards Franky had earned for his research.

Further into the main floor was the kitchen, built with stainless steel appliances, oak cabinets, and rich tan and black granite countertops. A breakfast bar sat at the center island, open to the dining area and great room, lit up brightly with massive windows facing the backyard. A fireplace sat in the middle of the great room, dividing it from a small reading nook in the corner.

The second floor had four bedrooms, including the master suite, and three bathrooms. The floor above held the library with a wider array of books from fantasy to science fiction to mystery and horror. There was a finished basement with a fifth bedroom, a small bathroom, and a theater and game room where Kid learned Nami's friends spent the majority of their time.

In the backyard was a pool and deck, a massive grill built to one side, and more perfectly trimmed green grass extending out for nearly an acre. The yard ended at a small grove of tangerine trees, the only remnant of Nami still remaining in the house long after she moved out. Kid made a mental note to grab a few before he left.

Kid had noticed a dirt road leading around the side of the house, and from the backyard he could see where it ended at the far side of the three acre lot. A trail wound through Nami's grove from the yard, walking access to Franky's workshop. The building was the size of a small hanger with three garage doors open to a concrete floor filled with cars, trucks, and every tool Kid wished he owned. He had to stand outside at the end of the dirt trail to gape at the building. Luffy had run ahead, laughing and jumping as he called out to Franky to hurry up and show them the robot. The long nosed one – Usopp – followed after his friend, attempting, and failing, to hold him back.

Luffy wasn't allowed in the workshop often from what Kid understood. The young man had a habit of blowing things up that weren't supposed to blow up, or at least weren't supposed to while in the workshop. He realized Franky wasn't kidding as he watched Luffy climb into the cab of a monster truck and proceed to ask his friend what a certain button did… _while_ hitting the button.

He didn't know why the truck had fireworks blasting from chrome pipes on the bed, but he had to admit it was pretty awesome.

"Set your arm over there," Franky hollered over the last few sizzles of the fireworks. The engineer pointed toward a workbench set on a wall to the right. Steel plated magnifiers hung from the wall and a box housing a laser welder sat on the end of the bench. Cabinets and drawers were filled with more tools, and Kid had to battle the urge to play with all of them.

Franky dragged Luffy out of the truck, punching him over the head to get him under some semblance of control, and whistled to signal Kid follow him to the far back corner of the room. A beige tarp hung over what Kid assumed was the robot. It towered over them, just under ten meters in height, and nearly brushed against the ceiling.

"Alright guys. Set your sights on…" Franky trailed off into a dramatic pause as he grasped the tarp and tugged, the sheet falling away to reveal the shiny, silver robot, trimmed with blue and yellow and red, that looked remarkably like him with the bouffant. "Franky Shogun!"

It was the most fucking awesome thing he had ever seen.

"It's so huge!" Luffy shouted, leaping up and down with his arms raised in the air. "So cool! It's so cool!"

"Franky!" Usopp joined. "You're the best!"

Kid's mouth was hanging so far open, he couldn't even begin to voice his admiration as he stared at it. His hands itched with the need to build something, anything. He wanted to make something so huge and glorious and powerful.

He really hoped he wasn't drooling.

The engineer grinned smugly, bowing his head in a vain attempt to hide his pride as he scratched his nose. "Yeah, well, that isn't the half of it. It might look pretty on the outside, but inside it's packed with a ton of fire power."

Franky hit a button on a remote he held, and they all stood back to watch two panels open on the barreled chest to reveal twelve rocket launchers. Kid was certain he was drooling at that point, but it was okay because Luffy was beside him doing the same.

It got even better as dual canons popped out of the shoulders, and the arms extended to reveal small barrels in the palms that Kid desperately wanted to know what they shot.

"Oi, Usopp," Franky called out, breaking the long nose from his spell. "Get that door."

Usopp spun to one of the closed back doors and hit a button to open it. Once clear, Franky began to fiddle with his remote, and Luffy and Kid had to jump back as the robot came to life. Luffy was shouting excited gibberish as they watched it slowly walk out to the lot behind the garage, the young man leaping after it. Kid was right behind him, tempering his excitement as best he could.

"Can we ride it!?" Luffy asked, and Kid found himself curious, too.

"Later," Franky chuckled.

"What do the palms shoot?" Kid asked next, sparing the engineer a glance to see him grin wide.

He chuckled as he turned the robot to face a clearing. As Kid watched, he noticed the clearing was filled with uprooted and burned trees, shattered stones, and a hill about half a mile away looked like it had been blasted a few times. His eyes widened as the robot's hands came together and a laser began to charge between them.

The hill exploded a second later.

"That was the fucking coolest thing I've ever seen!" Kid shouted, Luffy and Usopp hollering their own similar sentiments. "Do it again!"

Franky laughed. "Can't do that one too much. We've already had the cops out here a few times when I was testing it." Kid sulked openly, glad Nami wasn't there to witness it. The other man came to clap him on the back with a short chuckle. "Relax. This baby's got plenty more firepower to show you. First, I want to bounce those ideas about a magnet weapon off of you, and maybe we can start working on a few prototypes for it."

Kid sobered and let Franky wrap an arm around his shoulder to tug him back to the garage. He might get to help build a weapon for a robot. He might get to make the very thing he went to college for.

After an hour of brainstorming, Franky settled on installing a magnet that would be hidden inside the body before extending out on an arm through the robot's back. If the robot was in the presence of metal weaponry, it could rip it right out of its opponents' hands for defense. Kid suggested a repel mechanism by reversing the magnet's polarity; it would act as an offensive weapon that way, and their enemies would have to dodge their own weapons. Simple and crude in many ways, but it would work. To make something more elaborate and fine-tuned would take more planning, and there was the chance it wouldn't work properly in the existing robot.

Franky promised to work with Kid on developing something different, a separate robotic weapon that would utilize some of Kid's other ideas. Kid was ecstatic for the chance, and feeling very grateful to Nami for introducing them.

"Alright, let's take a look at this broken arm of yours," Franky prompted, setting aside the design plans they had been working on.

Luffy and Usopp had been watching them work the entire time. Or at least Usopp was. Luffy bounced between the workbench and some of the cars Franky had in his shop before he was forced to settle in a chair next to Kid after nearly blowing up a wall. The two guys leaned over to watch Franky pull the arm from the case while Kid sat back in his stool.

"Wait! Are you a cyborg like Franky!?" Luffy asked loudly, glancing between Kid and the arm.

Usopp smacked him on the back of the head while Kid and Franky glowered at the oblivious young man. "You just noticed!?" Usopp shouted. "He's been wearing a metal arm this entire time!"

Luffy frowned, rubbing his head, and stared hard at Kid. His eyes widened when he took notice of the metal prosthetic Kid wore in place of his cybernetic arm. "Ah! You're a robot, too!" Kid smacked his hand over his face and Luffy's friends sighed in defeat, heads hanging. "That's so cool!"

Kid's hand dropped away and he smirked at the young man, chuckling to himself. "I ain't a robot," he corrected. "But I guess you could say I'm a partial cyborg."

"That's so cool!" Luffy repeated. "I wanna be a robot, too!"

Shaking his head, Kid turned to watch Franky go back to assessing his arm. Usopp sighed again and pat Luffy on the shoulder consolingly.

Franky whistled as he prodded the snapped ulna bar. Then his eyes went wide when he pulled back the flaps of skin Kid had created earlier to see how bad it was. The man's head shot around to stare incredulously at the red head. "How the hell did you manage to break it like this!?"

Kid pursed his lips and looked to the side. "I fell."

"Like hell you did!"

Kid found the ceiling to be of extreme interest and pointedly kept his mouth shut.

"Why is there a ripped tie hanging from the wrist?" Franky asked knowingly.

Kid's eyes widened. He forgot to take that off. "No reason," he muttered, scratching the back of his head. He bit his cheek to hold back his smug grin when he caught Franky's cocked brow and amused smile. He really wanted those pictures. He wouldn't screw himself out of his deal.

"So you fell, huh?" Franky chuckled, gaze sweeping over Kid, appraising him. "That how you got all those scratches and marks?"

"Might be…" Kid felt his lips twitch with a smile, so he propped his chin in the palm of his hand, fingers covering his mouth to hide the expression.

Franky hummed and turned back to the arm, chuckling again. "Must have been some mighty fall."

He couldn't help but snort in amusement, thoughts drifting to just how hard he fell. "Yep. Pretty big one."

Kid glanced to the side when he felt Luffy's gaze on him, the young man leaning closer. He cocked his brow as he watched Luffy stare, a finger up his nose. "Did you fall into a rose bush? Or a pack of cats? Those scratches look like cat scratches."

He nearly fell off his stool laughing. "Yeah," he grinned. "Definitely a cat that scratched me up."

"Hmmm, that cat must not like you much," Luffy's head cocked to the side.

"Uhhh, Luffy," Usopp said, tapping his friend on the shoulder as Kid hunched over, hand clamped over his mouth before he said anything else. "I think the cat actually _really likes_ him in this case."

"Huh?" Luffy blinked, staring between Usopp and Kid. He was openly confused until Usopp leaned in to whisper in the man's ear. Kid sobered the second Luffy's eyes widened and shot to him. "Nami did that!?"

"If she asks, I didn't say a damn thing. Got that?" Kid growled, pointing in warning. Luffy wasn't fazed, but Usopp shrunk away with an exaggerated nod.

"What's she holding over you?" Franky asked, chuckling and nudging his elbow into Kid's side.

"She'll probably kill me if I tell you," Kid grumbled. "I ain't breaking our deal."

"That good, huh?" Franky slapped him on the back with a loud laugh. "You really did fall hard, bro."

He snorted in amusement. "You have no idea."

"Hope you're not planning to hold that back from her, too," Franky said as he reached for a pair of magnified goggles. Kid's brow rose in question. "Emotions like that… Ya can't keep 'em bottled up forever."

Frowning, Kid slumped over the workbench. He didn't need to be told that, he already knew. He accidentally let it slip out the night before, but luckily she was too distracted with what they were doing to hear the confession he muttered against her lips. He had only realized how he felt two days before, yet those feelings were already welling up inside him, creating a fluttering pressure in his chest that threatened to burst at the wrong moment.

He couldn't tell her, though. Even if Franky said he should, he knew there was no way Nami could feel the same. He had stubbornly pushed at her attraction until she gave in to their relationship, and while they were comfortable and happy now, he knew one step too far and Nami would pull away again. He loved her, he refused to lose her, and if it meant holding back what he felt, then he'd do it for as long as he could.

"It'll take me a few days, but I can definitely have this fixed up and as good as new," Franky said after a few minutes.

"Really?" Kid perked up at the news. Franky nodded. "Thanks," he grinned.

"No problem. Anything to help out the sis' boyfriend," Franky laughed. "Just talk her into skimming a few hundred off my debt."

"I'll see what I can do, but you know how much that woman loves her money. She not taking any off for helping with her apartment?"

"She said to bill her and she'll adjust accordingly. But that just means I'll be sitting through negotiations over how much I charge for my hourly work and still be left with a pretty good chunk of my debt left." He laughed loudly.

"Nami's one ruthless woman, huh?" Kid couldn't help but grin, the look earning another hard pat on his back and knowing smile from the engineer. He brushed off the look, refusing to acknowledge what Franky was hinting at. "Think you can put something explosive in that arm?" He asked with a grin.

"I'll see if I can think up a good feature for you," Franky cackled.

"Perfect. Now can we blow more stuff up?"

"Yeah! Show us the rocket launcher!" Luffy exclaimed beside him.

"Alright, alright. Just a couple of 'em. Usopp – go grab the fire extinguisher. Can't get fined for starting another fire on that hill."

* * *

Nami was glad to have a quiet, peaceful afternoon to herself, and it helped she had an excuse to laze around in bed while Kid was gone. Her hips ached, her core muscles were tight, and her whole body felt weak and spent. Just the few yards to the bathroom took most of her energy to walk.

Kid was lucky she thoroughly enjoyed how they made up after their fight, otherwise her earlier threat of withholding sex wouldn't have been so empty.

Without Kid around to distract her, Nami had a chance to catch up on her studies and start researching a paper she had due in a few weeks. By six that night, she heard someone come home and ventured up to find Killer making dinner. It had been slow getting up the stairs, and she collapsed into a chair at the dinette table once she reached the kitchen, ignoring the smirk Killer wore when she groaned in relief.

"Where's Kid?" He asked, chopping tomatoes and onions to add to the pasta sauce simmering in a pot on the stove.

"Franky's. He left a couple of hours ago. Knowing those guys, they'll be blowing things up all night." She rolled her eyes, but wore a warm smile as she imagined how much fun Kid must be having with her friends. She didn't care about robots or any of the things Franky made most of the time, but she wanted Kid to get along with her friends, and she was glad the boys had their shared interests.

Killer hummed, crushing a clove of garlic to add to the pot. "I heard he broke his prosthetic last night," he idly mused. Nami glared in response, prompting him to chuckle. "I take you two made up."

"We did." She hid her smile behind her hand. "I wasn't as mad as he probably expected me to be. I was just upset he tried to lie about something."

"He's a pretty shitty liar, so he would only hide a few details if he thought it was for the best," Killer explained. "I'm not saying it was the right thing to do, but I imagine he didn't want conflict between you two after what happened."

"That's what he told me," she sighed. "I understand, but hopefully he doesn't do that again."

"I'm sure he's learned his lesson. As hard headed as he is, he knows when he's screwed up and will always try to not make the same mistake twice."

"That's good to hear," she said, smiling. She hoped Killer was right. She didn't want to have the same fights over and over again in the future. "Hey, maybe you can help me with something…"

"What is it?" Killer glanced at her. He had finished cutting open a loaf of French bread as they spoke and was spreading butter over the inside. He then sprinkled cheese and garlic on it and wrapped it in foil.

"What would Kid like for his birthday?"

"That's still over a month away," he said, frowning thoughtfully. "Why are you thinking about it now?"

She shrugged. She couldn't tell him that she had been looking forward to celebrating something with him. She was trying to look ahead, plan for things to come. It was becoming easier to forget the past, and the more she thought about times to come, imagined them still happy together, despite the occasional fight, she found herself cherishing their time together more. She wanted to do something special for Kid to show him how she felt, to show she appreciated his resolve and everything he had done for her over the last few months.

Killer smiled at her after a minute, turning back to dinner with a quiet chuckle. "Well, he shouldn't be that difficult. If it's from you, he'll probably like it no matter what it is."

"That isn't helpful," she huffed. "I already used what I thought to give him as a bribe – "

"Bribe for what?" Killer looked at her with his brow raised, and Nami pointedly shut her mouth, glaring. "Nevermind." He waved off her silent warning. "I can safely say Kid would appreciate anything involving sex."

She groaned, slumping over the table. "That's what he suggested earlier, but that's too easy." She pouted to herself, and glanced around to see that they were alone. Leaning forward, she spoke quietly. "I want to show that I appreciate him."

Killer wore a proud grin at what she confided in him. "The fact you're thinking ahead shows as much. Maybe you can plan something for him, something special and intangible that only you two can share."

Nami hummed, thinking over the suggestion. She liked that idea. She could plan a day for just the two of them, maybe a trip somewhere. She knew he'd enjoy that. Take themselves away from everyone else, give him her whole attention. The time of year worked well, too. She would be on break from school, so nothing to distract her. The question was – where would she take him?

She was drawn from her thoughts by the sound of the garage door opening. She turned to look into the den to see Kid come in. He grinned as soon as he saw her in the kitchen with Killer and leapt up the small flight of stairs to join them.

"Have fun?" She asked with a knowing smile.

"Yep," he grunted, bending down to smack a kiss to her cheek. "And Franky's gonna fix my arm for me. He's hoping you'll take a few hundred off his debt for it, though."

"I'll work something out," she giggled.

Kid took the chair next to her, scooting it closer to her to prop his arm on the back of her chair. "What are ya doin' out of bed, Kitten?"

"I heard Killer in here and decided I could use the company," she explained. "I've been studying since you left. Needed the break."

"Are you going to do anymore studying tonight?" Kid asked.

"I don't think so," she hummed. "I was thinking of watching a movie later."

"Sounds good to me. I think it's your turn to pick."

"Of course it's my turn. I still have five picks left before it's your turn again." She stuck her tongue out at him. He growled in feigned annoyance, a hint of a smirk belying his good humor. "I was thinking _Pride and Prejudice_."

"Fuck," he groaned, "not another sappy romance."

"I like that one," she huffed.

"I don't even own it."

"I found it in the cable listings," she snickered. "Free, of course."

"Fuck," he groaned again. "If ya want to watch romantic shit, at least pick something with explosions."

"I'm sure you've had your fair share of explosions today," she said, patting his knee in consolation. "So no. We're watching what I want to watch. Anyway, you said you'd pamper me like a spoiled princess, and that means putting up with what I want to do."

"Damn it," he frowned, unable to argue her point.

"Make sure you take notes," Killer teased where he stood in the kitchen, stirring a pot of chicken stuffed ravioli. "You might learn a thing or two about romance."

"Like any of that crap works. I'm fine without it."

"I don't know," Nami hummed. "Those flowers were awfully roman – "

"Don't fucking bring those up again! I didn't do that to be romantic! I said no fucking roses!"

Nami and Killer laughed at his outburst. He sat growling at them until Nami leaned over to kiss his jaw. He was blushing lightly, his embarrassment charming and cute. She couldn't resist teasing him. When she pulled away, his hard stare made her want to lean in for another kiss, and when she did, he smirked and bowed his head to steal one from her lips.

Killer cleared his throat before they could kiss again. "Dinner's almost ready, so if you two lovebirds can save that for later… and _not_ be in my kitchen…"

Nami pulled away with a quiet squeak, ignoring Kid's wide grin as he wrapped his arm around her and leaned his chin on her shoulder.

"Guess romance ain't so bad," he whispered. "'Specially if it gets you horny."

"Kid!" She screeched and slammed her elbow into his side. He slumped against her, coughing and gasping for air.

"You damn bitch," he groaned as he clutched his side. "Take a fucking joke."

She smacked her hand against his face to shove him away. "Pervert."

"Geez, same insult as this morning. Can't ya think up somethin' better?" He chuckled.

"Creep."

"Oh, haven't used that one in a while," he teased.

She shoved him with an amused snort. "Sleaze."

"Ohhh! Now that's a new one!" He barked out a loud laugh, reaching out to trap her in a loose headlock. She shrieked with laughter as she tried to get free. "Ya might just hurt my feelings with that one."

Killer chuckled quietly to himself from the stove. "You two can be sickeningly cute sometimes, you know that?"

"We're definitely the cutest couple out there," Kid grinned, yanking Nami closer. "Ain't that right, Kitten?"

"Well, at least I'm cute. I'm not sure about you." She stuck her tongue out at his playful growl, and then screamed with his hand drop to poke a ticklish spot. He grinned wolfishly at her reaction, and pinched the spot again. She found the energy to bolt out of her chair. "Don't you dare!"

His chuckle sent a shiver down her spine as he stood. She screamed when he took a step toward her, and flew down the stairs to escape him. As he chased after her, Killer shouted to them.

"Don't get carried away! Dinner will be ready in ten!"

* * *

She knew he was going to fall asleep during the movie. She would have been surprised if he even managed to make it three-quarters of the way through.

A half an hour in, he laid down on the couch in his basement and tugged her to lay in front of him. Once comfortable with her wrapped in his arm, his breathing began to even out within minutes, and before long he was snoring softly behind her, his face nestled in her hair and hand comfortably resting on her stomach beneath the shirt she borrowed.

She was content like that.

She didn't like the idea of waking him when the movie was done, but she would have to get them in bed eventually. The couch was too cramped for the two of them to sleep on. He clung to her when she reached for the remote to shut off the television, growled softly when she rolled to face him, and then let out a heavy sigh when she settled in his arm again.

Nami giggled as she peered at his face in the faint glow of moonlight spilling from the narrow windows. His brows were knit with a scowl even in his sleep. She brushed her fingers over his cheek and listened to him hum as his arm tightened around her waist, a leg coming up to wrap over hers and further trap her on the couch. He nestled his head against his shoulder, leaning closer until their foreheads brushed. He took a deep breath through his nose, let it out slowly, and she watched him smile in his sleep as his head tilted up to run his nose and lips over her forehead.

"Kid," she whispered, hand ghosting over his jaw. He hadn't shaven in over a day and his skin was coarse with faint red hairs sprouting up all over. The hairs of his chin scratched against her brow and nose, and she giggled at the ticklish sensation. "Let's go to bed, Kid," she tried again.

He grunted and his hand came up to brush through her hair, pushing her face into his chest. Even in his sleep he was stubborn.

His fingers played through the strands he held, subconsciously trying to lull her to sleep with him. He always liked to play with her hair or run his hand over her back as they fell asleep, and there were many mornings she woke up to his fingers tracing over her shoulders, up and down her spine, while he drowsily stared at her, seeking sleep again.

She always felt safe when he was sleeping beside her. She felt cherished those peaceful morning she woke to the faintest of touches. She loved those moments, quiet and simple, just as much as she had grown to love the times they were hot with anger and passion. Every morning she woke to find him there, holding her close, she forgot all the mornings she had woken alone. She didn't like sleeping alone anymore.

She pulled back, ignoring his annoyed groan, and went back to watching him sleep. She pushed up so that her face was level with his again, and watched her fingers trace over his skin. She amused herself with making his eye twitch while her fingers ghosted over his brow, trying to make it relax. It did for a split second when her touch traced around the outside of his eye and down his cheek bone. He had a habit of grinding his teeth in his sleep, but as her hands brushed gently over his jaw, she felt his face relax, the joint slackening for a short moment. His lips pursed on instinct when her fingers trailed over them, lightly kissing her. His nose had been broken in the past, at least on three occasions that she knew of. The bridge was bent slightly at two spots where it hadn't been reset quite right. It was hard and jagged on the sides she traced a finger down to the tip of his nose. When her fingers brushed over his lips again, Kid stiffed and stretched, his grip in her hair tightening.

"What the hell're you doin', Kitten?" He rasped out, an eye peeling open to stare at her.

"Trying to wake you up," she said with a soft smile. "The movie's over."

He hummed, his head turning to nuzzle her hand where it came to rest on his cheek. "Weird way t' do that."

"Well, you were too cute asleep. I wasn't sure if I should wake you." Her smile grew as he shut his eye and settled back down on the couch. These moments were definitely her favorites. Just the two of them, completely at peace and comfortable with each other. She had never before imagined it possible, but now that she was there, she never wanted to give it up.

She hoped she would never have to.

His hand moved from her hair, trailing over her jaw, his thumb brushing against her cheek. His eyes were open again, a hint of concern in his gaze as he stared at her.

"Why do you look sad?" He asked.

The question surprised her. She didn't think she was so transparent, but he picked up on the subtle change in her mood better than she thought he would. She shut her eyes, forced a smile, and leaned her forehead against his.

"I'm not," she whispered. "I'm actually really happy right now."

When she opened her eyes again, he was still watching, searching her expression for some clue to what she was thinking. His thumb brushed higher on her cheek as he cupped her face and leaned in for a soft, teasing kiss. The gesture made her stomach flip and her smile warm. He pulled back to glance at her lips, sharing her smile, and met her gaze as he leaned in for another kiss.

"Me too," he grunted between pecks. "Let's just sleep on the couch."

"It's too small," she pouted at the suggestion. "And my arm's falling asleep like this."

He chuckled, kissed her again, and then rolled to his back, dragging her to lay on top of him. "That better for my spoiled princess?"

She hummed as his hand drifted back into her hair, guiding her to nestle her face against his neck. "I guess," she said, the sound turning into a sigh when his hand trailed down her back. It teased its way under her shirt and she melted under his touch as his fingers traveled over her spine. He snorted a quiet laugh when she nuzzled into his neck, and turned his head to rest his cheek on her hair.

"You have school tomorrow, right?" His deep voice echoed in her ear and vibrated in his chest.

"First class is at nine," she answered.

"Too fuckin' early," Kid grumbled. "I'll drop ya off, though. I work at three, won't be done until midnight. I'll send Killer to pick ya up."

"Okay," she yawned. They drifted into a comfortable silence. She smiled when she noticed their breath coming at the same steady pace, and she could feel his pulse in his neck, thrumming against her brow. "Let's go somewhere."

"Hm?" He grunted, cheek rubbing against her hair. "What d'you mean?"

"For your birthday. Let's go somewhere special."

"Like out to dinner or somethin'?"

"No, let's go on a trip. Wherever you want, just the two of us."

His hand slowed at her suggestion, busied itself with examining a ridge of her spinal column. After a moment of thought, he chuckled and his whole hand pressed to her back, running up to her shoulder to squeeze it in a hug.

"I like that idea." She could feel him smiling as he pressed a kiss to her hair. "I like it a lot."

"Thank Killer, he thought that was something you would like other than sex."

He hummed and held her tighter. "Yep, 'cause now I can have sex with you somewhere different."

She giggled and tilted her head up. "Pervert."

"What happened to sleaze? I liked that one," he grinned. The smile softened when she left a fluttering kiss on his lips. "Let's go to the beach, then. Been wanting to see ya play in the ocean ever since ya told me that's where ya grew up."

"Really?"

"Mhm," he nodded, nudging her to lay back down. "We ain't that far from the coast. Could probably spend a weekend at one of the smaller towns."

"That sounds like a good plan."

"Mhm," he hummed with a deep sigh. "Lookin' forward to it, Kitten."

"Me too."

A quiet lull fell over them again. Kid's hand found its way into her hair and she quickly began to nod off at the sensation of his blunt nails scratching over her scalp. He shifted beneath her, rolling slightly to his right side. She became wedged between him and the back of the couch, his warmth surrounding her, his large frame acting as a shield for her.

She vaguely heard him sigh as he dozed off with his lips pressed to her forehead. She felt them move with words spoken at a hush, a faint "I love you" teasing on the edge of her consciousness as she fell asleep.

In the morning, she would wonder if she had only been dreaming.

* * *

_**A/N: **So the dream at the beginning - that is literally the only hint to Chopper existing in this world. I know a few of you were wondering where Chopper and Brook might come in, but I very, very rarely include them in real world AU fics like this one. I have a hard enough time writing them into canon based fics, so I tend to leave them out of AUs entirely (with the exception here and there). I love and adore Chopper, but he is just strangely difficult for me to write. Brook - I like the guy, but I also have a hard time writing him. So, hope you guys don't mind their lack of existence._

_Oh, I'm curious because I've written a one-shot over on my tumblr with Kid as a father that seems to be well-received. I'm not doing anything with children in this fic - as I stated before, not even broaching that subject a little bit - but would you guys be interested in a KidNa family AU? Just fluff and the walking disaster that is papa!Kid? I can't promise that I'd do it any time soon, but if the interest is there, I will consider the idea more._

_And yes, I casually referenced a Fall Out Boy song in this at one point. If you can guess which one, you can give yourself a cookie._

_And Eustass fucking Kid is a volcano of emotion, the bastard can't keep it all inside, even if he thinks he can._


	26. Chapter 26

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_Change Can Be Good_

Living with Nami was the best thing ever, at least in his opinion. Before Nami, he never would have thought he'd like having a chick around all the time, but he loved waking up to her in his bed, loved seeing her things mixed with his, loved coming home finding her curled up on the couch with her textbooks or already fast asleep in his bed. Her scent was on his sheets, on his clothes, and he knew his own clung to her just as he liked it to. Sure, they would bicker, especially in the morning when he was grouchy, or at night if she wasn't in the mood for his favorite activity, but they always argued, so that wasn't enough to annoy him.

The most annoying thing she did was take over the bathroom in the morning, but he was allowed to be in there as he got ready at the same time, and the strange domesticity of sharing a sink while shoving each other out of the way with playful smiles made it less of an annoyance and more a charming addition to his life.

He didn't want it to change.

Which was why he was sitting on the toilet seat, watching Nami get ready to go apartment hunting while hoping to deter her from those plans. _Without_ giving away his intentions. If she knew he wanted her to move in permanently, she'd freak. He knew it in his gut. It'd be like a heavy chain wrapped around her neck, trapping her to him, and that thought would have her running out the door, scared of the implications.

Asking her to move in would only end with her breaking his heart.

"I'm also running out of clothes," Nami was saying as she brushed out her hair. "So I want to go to the mall after we look at a few places."

He didn't want to go to the mall. He didn't want to go apartment hunting. He wanted to stay there in his basement and wrap himself around her until she forgot all about moving out.

"Ya got plenty of clothes," he grunted, eyes glued to the top she had chosen to wear that day. That wasn't helping him at all. The black halter cut in a low V between her breasts, a string crisscrossing over her cleavage taunting him to pluck at it. The shirt billowed out from her bust in a baby doll fashion more fitting for the bedroom than out and about, especially with the way it split open in the front, displaying her trim waist and abs. The only way the shirt could look hotter on her (and not on his floor), would be if she had her belly button pierced or maybe that tattoo she had mentioned wanting on her hip. Just imagining her with a cute little tangerine jewel hanging down, or the swirling heart to match her sister's, made him itch to touch her, and he shifted on the toilet seat to hide the evidence of that desire, leaning back with his arms crossed behind his head and legs spread wide. "And that's what a washing machine's for," he finished, still staring at her chest.

"My favorite boutique is having a sale," she half whined, turning to him with a hand on her hip. He bit back a groan as her hip cocked to the side and his eyes were distracted from her cleavage, falling down to take in the light washed skinny jeans she wore. They were tattered and torn over her thighs, begging him to literally tear them off. He'd _really_ rather stay home with her than shop. "We're going," she decided firmly.

"Doubt we'll have the time if yer set on looking at places, too," he forced himself to argue, gaze sweeping back up to face. She was frowning at him. "I'll take ya shopping if that's what ya want to do, but we ain't gonna have time to do both."

"We'll have plenty of time," she said, waving him off as she turned back to the mirror, playing with her bangs. His gaze went back to her breasts.

"You could just skip apartment hunting. Ain't a big deal if ya stay here a while longer, and we haven't heard anything from Jinbei 'bout those fishmen. It ain't safe for you to move out."

"I'm not moving out, but I'd like to have a place ready once it is safe," she huffed. "I can't stay here forever, Kid."

_Why the fuck not?_ he wanted to ask, but he held his tongue. "It's only been a week and half, and yer already sick of me?" He half joked with a strained laugh.

"That's not what I mean," she sighed, sending him an exasperated look. "I like having my space."

"I give ya plenty of space here," he argued.

Her glower was disbelieving. "Yes, _plenty_ of space," she said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. "Every morning I get ready with you staring at my breasts. Just like right now."

His eyes shot to her face. "I like staring at them." He grinned wide and stood with a quiet chuckle. Coming to stand behind her, he leaned down to nip at her ear and reach around to squeeze one of the mounds taunting him. "And touchin' 'em." She smacked his hand away, and he released her. He groaned while pressing a lingering kiss to her jaw. "I like havin' ya here, Nami. Ya don't have to be in such a rush to leave."

She stared hard at his reflection in the mirror, and then shut her eyes with a sigh. "I know," she admitted quietly, turning around to face him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, but he knew not to hope that she would change her mind. She was too stubborn. "Maybe someday." He almost smiled, but someday wasn't now, which meant he would have to wait. "But right now, I don't want to live with four guys, especially one who likes to paw at me every chance he gets."

"Ya like it when I paw at you," he teased, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere. She raised her brow, not nearly as amused as he pretended to be. "Alright, I get it," he relented with a deep sigh. "It ain't the right time." Her smile was sympathetic and grateful all at once, and the sweet kiss she pressed to his lips eased his disappointment. He kept his arms wrapped around her waist as she turned back to the sink to put in her earrings – little gold hoops that matched her bracelet. Face buried against her neck, he took a deep breath and muttered, "Someday."

His phone chimed in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see a text from Franky. He kept his phone in front of Nami's stomach, peering over her shoulder as he read the message while holding onto her.

"My arm's done," he informed, switching to gaze over her other shoulder when she moved to fasten the second earring. "I can pick it up today."

"We'll go over when we're done at the mall. He better not have put a laser in it," she huffed. He chuckled when he felt her shoulders rise and fall with the irritated sigh lacing her words. When he told Nami about Franky possibly putting a weapon in the arm while repairing it, she vehemently (and loudly) stood against it. She reminded him, even louder, that he liked to touch her with that arm, and she wasn't about to have a hole blown through her by a laser, or accidentally shanked by some hidden knife, or whatever other injury could come her way by one of Franky's weapons. Even if Franky reassured her that it would be perfectly safe, she still swore she would never let Kid touch her again, not as long as that arm was fastened to his shoulder.

He grudgingly let her win, a first in their relationship. She had a point. He didn't want to accidentally hurt her, and he really did like touching her.

"He said he'd take my old prototype and see what he can do with that," Kid reassured, wiggling the metal fingers at her waist. "He was thinking something with an electromagnet, so it shouldn't accidentally hurt ya if I wear it."

She glared in the mirror, a silent warning in her gaze, but she dropped it to finish getting ready. He had to bite back another groan when she leaned forward to sweep a stray eyelash from under her eye, and focused on texting Franky back, his metal arm remaining tight at her waist.

"I'm ready to go if you are," she announced a minute later. He glanced up to see her running her fingers through her hair one more time.

She was ready to be bent over the pedestal and fucked as far as he was concerned. That top, with her wavy orange locks and pouty lips, begged for him to have his way with her.

Okay, she had a point about needing her space. If he had his way, she'd end up never leaving the house, and that was bound to create problems.

"'Bout damn time," he grunted, finally relinquishing his hold on her so she could head back to the living area for her purse. His head tilted to the side when she stopped at the coffee table and bent over to pick up a notebook, filled with numbers and lists and a ton of research he thought was unnecessary for an apartment hunt. He didn't care about what was in the notebook right then, all he cared about was the perfect ass in front of him, only made better by the strappy orange high heels that made her impossibly long legs longer. Yep, that sealed it. He didn't want space, he wanted to be wedged between those thighs.

No wonder she wanted to move out already.

"Your mind's in the gutter again, isn't it?" he vaguely heard her huff. She turned at her waist to glance at him, but his eyes remained glued to her backside.

"Yep," he answered honestly. "Always." He could hear the roll of her eyes in the annoyed groan she released, and he finally glanced back up at her with a crooked smirk. "I got the hottest girlfriend in the world. What the fuck do you expect me to think about all the time?"

"How about," she began with a teasing lilt as she stood straight, hand on a cocked hip, "you think about taking your hot girlfriend apartment hunting and maybe she'll think about getting you a present at the mall?"

"Present?" His brow raised, intrigued. He liked her presents.

She didn't answer immediately, turning to saunter toward the stairs. It was impossible not to follow, not with the way she swayed her hips.

"I saw an ad for the lingerie store with a really cute corset," she said as they entered the den and headed to the garage, Kid still following with his gaze set on that hypnotic ass. He grunted at the word corset, but otherwise she had him convinced. "It was red with little metal facets."

He didn't hold back his groan this time. That corset sounded like it would look great on his floor after he ripped her out of it.

Damn, the little vixen had him by the balls.

And he was too fucking in love with her to care.

* * *

Nami had three places lined up to look at that day, and Kid wasn't just there to play bodyguard and offer some sort of tacit moral support, hold her hand, whatever. She was a big girl, she could apartment hunt by herself, but with a gang out for her life, she wasn't going alone, so that meant she was putting Kid to work.

He had two jobs. The first was to play inspector. When she told him that, he couldn't keep the grin off as his eyes swept over her and he muttered something about playing inspector with her right then and there – he'd get his tool belt and wear nothing else. She slapped him, and got back down to business, but he loved her feistiness and nearly derailed the discussion until she threatened to kick him in the balls. He was loving her feistiness a lot less after that. She'd do it. No hesitation at all.

So, he listened to her tell him to check over every inch of the place. He remodeled his own house, he should know all the signs of a shitty apartment with a fancy paint job to hide the issues, so she was trusting his opinion. He liked that she trusted him, so he was bound and determined to take advantage of that.

His second job was to play up the scare tactics when it came to negotiations. Use his knowledge to pick out even the smallest crack and make it out to be a huge problem so she can then use that to talk circles around the landlord. She would see that she walked away with a damn good deal on her rent.

Again, Kid loved that she was trusting him with the task. While there was certainly the sappy, warm fuzzy feeling in his chest that came when she showed how important his opinion was to her, he admittedly had a very selfish reason for wanting her trust. He didn't want her to move out, and he'd use that trust to dissuade her by trash talking every single place she looked at. It was a shitty move and he knew it, but it was the only move he had at the moment.

He knew it wouldn't be too hard. Knowing Nami there were two options she would go for when searching apartments. Being a penny-pinching Scrooge (in one fine ass body), she'd look at the cheap places first. Cheap meant rat-infested dumps in shitty neighbors. Easy for him to pick it apart and he knew she'd be wary of living somewhere dangerous, especially after the fishmen trouble. He gave her five minutes tops in an apartment like that before she spun on her designer heels and walked out. He probably wouldn't even need to say a word.

Her second option, which would prove more troublesome for him, was a higher end place. She might be cheap, but she had expensive taste with a business instinct to get what she wanted for a fraction of the price. She could negotiate a contract better than anyone, even the best lawyer or businessman wouldn't be able to counter her. That incredibly sharp mind knew money better than anything, second only to her freakish ability to predict the weather which was practically clairvoyant, so he didn't think it counted. With the nice apartments, he could maybe pick at her unwillingness to spend more money than necessary, remind her that she's got a perfectly good option that wouldn't cost her a cent, but he knew she was too smart to fall for that. His only chance was to hope there was some issue – a leaky faucet, a foundation crack, a possible mold issue, anything – and latch onto that in the hopes it might make her second guess putting in the effort to negotiate the price to reflect any issues.

The first place, as he suspected, was on the cheaper side. It wasn't horrible. The neighborhood was… _iffy, _but not the worst. Kid wouldn't have had a problem living there, but he wasn't looking for himself. The apartment itself wasn't bad, but he could tell they had just recently painted and he didn't miss the patch job on the living room wall. He knew it was a big _no_ when he heard Nami shriek in the kitchen.

Apparently a mouse had moved in and she had found its preferred bathroom.

Barely five minutes in there, and she was out the door, just as he thought would happen.

The second place was definitely a step up from the first. The neighborhood was okay, still not as good as Kid would like. Granted, his neighborhood wasn't the best, but he was there, and thus it was safer than anywhere else. The place the landlord was showing her was a garden level apartment, and Kid immediately felt his skin prickle at the thought of her living there. It was clean, sure, but anyone could break in through that back door if they wanted to.

"It's pretty solid glass, Kid," Nami pointed out as he glared, silently willing someone to throw a rock through to prove his point.

"Yer last place had pretty solid glass in the window and was on the second floor, and someone still broke in," he argued back. "Hell, if someone doesn't break in, ya might get some creep like what's his face peeping in to watch ya change."

"That's what blinds are for," she sighed with a roll of her eyes.

"I don't like it," he grumbled, back to hunting for something, anything, to dissuade her that didn't look so obviously selfish.

He found it in the bedroom and had to restrain his victorious grin as he pointed at the wall below the window. The place had a flooding problem being built into the ground, and that meant her stuff could be ruined with one bad storm. If not that, then there was a chance mold could be growing in the walls from the last flood.

"I assure you, we've taken care of the –" the landlord attempted to reassure before Kid cut him off.

"Like hell you have," he growled, prodding at the wall to show where it bowed in with the slightest pressure. "This probably flooded a couple of days ago when we got that last rain, and that wasn't even a big storm."

Nami stood there staring at the wall, frowning in thought. After a minute, she sighed and held up her hands in defeat before turning for the door. "Guess this place is out. Come on, Kid."

He allowed himself to grin then.

The third place wasn't much better. Security was less of an issue, but he made sure to point out some graffiti on the wall of a shop a block before the apartment. Once inside, it was clean, no signs of flooding or mice. Fixtures were outdated, and Nami cringed at the ugly yellow linoleum on the kitchen floor, but she reasoned she could cover it with a rug. It almost looked passable enough for her to consider negotiations, and Kid was running out of things to nitpick over.

When he finally found the smoking gun to put an end to the search that day, he could have kissed the landlord smack on the lips. Electrical issues. He didn't care if the wiring had been completely repaired, and he especially didn't care if the small fire that left some charring around an outlet was because the previous tenant had overloaded the plug. It was an issue. A big issue. At least big enough for him to make a fuss over and get Nami to rethink it. An ugly place she might be able to stomach for the right price, but would it be worth the chance of a fire? Not at all.

Two hours later, she was pouting around a fry in the food court at the mall, her four bags of new clothes not improving her mood as much as they normally would. Kid almost felt bad. _Almost_.

"Quit that," he admonished while snatching a slice of pickle out of her burger basket for himself. "Ya don't have to rush. Take yer time, we'll find ya the perfect place."

Her pout deepened and she leveled it on him. That niggling guilt crept up more, but he forced himself to ignore it.

"Will it help ya feel better if I buy ya ice cream?" he asked with a chuckle and cheeky grin.

Her pout became more exaggerated, feigned and silly. "Maybe," she said. He threw one of his fries across the table at her, earning a laugh as she relaxed. "It took me two months to find that other apartment. I thought it was perfect."

"Well, it was until those shitheads showed up," he said, shrugging. He plucked up a fry, slathered in ketchup, and popped it in his mouth. "Ya know ya ain't gonna find a place just as perfect in a day, so what are ya getting all sulky for?" Her only answer came in a shrug as she pushed her food around. "Nami," he sighed and leaned over to flick a finger between her eyes to get her attention on him. She glared at him as she rubbed the sore spot. "We'll find ya a new place and it won't be anything less than perfect 'cause I don't want to hear you bitch, and I know ya don't want to hear me saying 'I told ya so' all the time. So if yer set on not taking advantage of my place – which is rent free as long as ya keep screwing the landlord…" He earned an amused snort for that. "Don't get all bent out shape just 'cause ya didn't find what yer lookin' for on day one."

"You're being surprisingly mature, Kid," she said. She leaned forward, resting her chin on the back of folded hands, and smiled warmly at him. "Thank you." Sitting back, she heaved a large breath, resigning herself to searching again another day. "Guess I just have to keep getting into my new landlord's bed," she teased. "There are worse ways to pay rent."

He chuckled as he ate another fry. "Damn right. As long as I'm the only one ya pay like that."

"As if there could be anyone else," she said, smirking.

_And don't you forget that_, he thought to himself with a crooked grin. "I'm expecting a rent payment tonight, Kitten."

"Don't worry, I plan to give you a very big payment," she giggled. The wink she gave him made him want to rush her into a changing room, or the bathroom, or just anywhere semi-private, and get that payment before they even got home.

Her cell phone ringing put that idea on hold.

"Hey Robin," she answered while sipping her iced tea. "What's up?" Kid listened to her end of the conversation as he finished off his burger. "I'm just at the mall with Kid, why?" She paused to listen to Robin, and then let out a deep sigh that trailed into a hum. "Not great. The first place had mice. The second had flooding issues. The third it was electrical. But, I still have time, I'll find a place eventually." His girl was definitely an optimist, even if it took him reminding her not to give up hope so early. He really should feel like shit for trying to make her stay. "Wait," Nami said, perking up and staring at Kid with huge hopeful eyes that he knew was a good sign… for _her_. It was an omen of death for him. "Really? Are you sure?" He watched a beautiful, slow grin spread over her lips. He wanted to know what had her so happy. He hoped it wasn't about her home search, but he had a feeling it was. He definitely felt like shit thinking he could rob her of that happiness. "Tonight? Yeah. We can swing by before heading to the house for Kid's arm." She stopped to squeal, her cheeks turning pink she was smiling so much. "Okay. Let him know we're on the way. Thank you so much, Robin."

As soon as she hung up she shoved the rest of her burger in her mouth while standing up. He stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to explain. She gulped down the last of her tea and then finally turned to him. Her excitement changed to annoyance, eyes rolling and sighing heavily.

"Hurry up, Kid. We have to go."

"Ya haven't even told me what the fuck's going on, Kitten. What's the rush?" He had a feeling he knew what the rush was, but he needed to hear it.

"One of Robin's neighbors has been renting out their townhome for the last two years, and they just found out their tenants have to move in less than a month. They're looking for a new renter." She explained as she cleaned up her basket and reached for his. He snatched a few more fries before she could get it away. "We need to go look at the place. _Now_."

"Why now?" He asked as she ran off to discard their trash, still sipping as his cola. He was in no rush to see her move out, after all.

She rolled her eyes again when she came back and grabbed him by the arm to haul him out of his chair. "Robin's neighborhood is in high demand. Those townhomes are gorgeous and rarely go on the market. The fact one of the few being rented out is even available now means I have to hurry before someone else comes along and snatches it away," she explained hastily, shoving her bags at him and turning him toward the door. He grudgingly walked with her hands pushing at his back.

"Could probably check it out in the morning, Kitten. Doubt it'll be gone that quickly," he said with a shrug, chucking his empty cup into a trash can as they passed it.

"It will be," she said firmly. "When I finished my research program, I had wanted to move in there to be close to Robin. There was one place available, but I thought it could wait until I was back in town. Nope. Contract was signed in one day. Robin's been keeping an eye out since, and the timing couldn't be better."

"Geez, ya seriously are in a rush to leave me," he grumbled.

"I'm not leaving you. I'm getting a gorgeous place that I will love living in," she huffed, giving him one more hard shove to get him out the door and to the parking lot.

Kid sighed in defeat and picked up his pace to walk without her help. "Alright. If this is what'll make you happy, then let's get it over with."

She squealed with joy and went sprinting for his car. He loved seeing her happy, but damn did it hurt to know that getting away from him could make her so excited.

* * *

Perfect was an understatement.

The neighborhood was gated, so security was not an issue. The townhomes were fairly new, clean, and even the surrounding neighborhoods were well kept and quiet. Small manicured lawns lined the streets, broken only by cute cobblestone paths from the sidewalk to the front porches of each home. They were all painted in an array of colors. Blue and turquoise and red and yellow. The one Nami was looking at sat at the end of a row and was a calming green.

Nami practically skipped up the walkway when she climbed out of his car and tackled Robin in a hug where she waited on the porch with the realtor overseeing the property. Kid felt his heart sink a little more.

The house was built on a slope, the back facing an alley meant for resident parking. A small garage took up the lowest level, big enough for storage, or Nami's motorcycle. She wouldn't have to park out in a lot like the other places and risk having her bike stolen. Another point in favor of the place.

A set of cider stairs led from the alley to a deck and back entrance, opening straight into the kitchen and dining area. The door had a deadbolt lock and an extra, interior latch for added security. Another point for the home.

The kitchen was beautiful. White cabinets, white subway tiles, and sleek grey granite filled one corner that overlooked the deck. The window flooded the room with light, even with the sun setting. There was no yellow linoleum, just warm wood planks. The appliances were fairly new – stainless steel with a refrigerator Kid was actually jealous of. A small prep island sat in the middle of the room, dividing the kitchen from the small dining area.

Nami was already in love with the place and they still hadn't seen the rest of it.

Opening into the living room, Nami immediately went to the bay window looking out at the porch. He could already imagine her sitting there in the morning, drinking her tea and watching the sun come up. The wood floors carried into the room, but the white of the kitchen gave way to a splash of light blue paint, calming and serene. He couldn't find a single thing out of place and held his tongue as Nami took off up to the second floor.

There were two bedrooms. The smaller Nami was already imagining as her office, thinking where she could put her desk and books. She was already moved in in her mind, and Kid really hated that he couldn't find something wrong with the place.

The second she walked into the master bedroom, he knew there was nothing he could say to sway her from it. It was bright. Bright and beautiful just like her. The walk-in closet could fit her whole wardrobe, and then some. And then there was the master bath. She actually fell to her knees and hugged the massive soaking tub set in the corner by a glass encased shower. She literally hugged a fucking tub.

His only consolation was her quip about there being room for his toothbrush at the double vanity, and they could actually get ready without a fight in the morning. His heart ached a little less after that, but he still hated to think she only wanted him around as a nightly guest.

Back downstairs, Nami practically dragged him onto the back balcony while the realtor left them alone to think over the place. There was nothing to think about, Kid could see that clear as day.

"I love this place," Nami sighed as she slumped over the railing and stared off at the setting sun. Kid leaned down next to her with a grunt, gaze casting over the city around them. He could actually see Franky's place off in the distant. It was close enough he could see the newest scars in the hills he helped create last weekend, and even a hint of green from Nami's tangerine grove. She'd have a friend just down the street, and five more a few blocks away. The university was close, too. She wasn't far from his place, and she'd still go to the same café he always met her at. It was safe, it was well kept, it suited her better than her old place, and she was _happy_.

He wished desperately to find something, just one thing wrong with the townhome, but it was perfect. It was better than perfect.

_I'm losing her, _the irrational thought sprung up in his mind. He wasn't losing her. Not really. She'd only been staying with him for a week and a half, and they'd only been dating for a few months. It was too soon for her to be living with him, but she had left the option open for the future and she was including him in the move. She even decided where to put his clothes if he wanted to keep some at her place. She wasn't trying to escape him, yet still he feared that that was exactly what she was doing.

"What do you think?" she asked, turning to him with a smile that was a little dimmer. There was apprehension mixed with hope. She still wanted to hear his opinion. His thoughts still mattered to her.

Damn he felt like shit for thinking he could force her to stay with him.

"It's okay," he shrugged. Her brow raised expectantly. "Shit," he sighed, running a hand over his face to hold back the urge to rip into the place and demand she stay with him. He'd definitely lose her if he did that. "Who am I kidding? It's fucking perfect for ya, Kitten." Her smile lit up and he resigned himself to letting go of his own hopes.

"It looks perfect," she agreed, stamping down her excitement as best she could. "It _feels_ perfect. But was there anything you saw? I know sometimes a pretty façade can hide some nasty stuff."

"True," he said, nodding. "But, I didn't see anything stick out. I can take a closer look, but I think the place is great. Safe, too. Got yer friend down the street, and I know that's got ya excited." He smiled at her eager nod. "What about the price?"

"Well, I know what Robin's mortgage is, as well as the property taxes and association fees she has to pay. The rent looks to cover those costs, with a little extra for upkeep. It's actually pretty reasonable what they're asking for this place."

"Can ya afford it?"

She hummed in thought and he could see her mentally calculating all her expenses. "I have a lot of money saved up. I don't think it'll be a problem, but I'll pick up more shifts at Shakky's just in case and cut back on some other expenses. Eat out less…" She frowned. "Buy fewer shoes."

He barked a loud laugh at her obvious disappointment. "Guess ya gotta take back all those clothes ya bought today."

"Oh, hell no," she snapped. "I am keeping those."

He chuckled again and slung an arm around her shoulders to draw her against his side. He stifled his amusement with a kiss to her hair. "Good. I gotta see ya in that corset at least once before I tear it to shreds."

She giggled, her arms wrapping around his waist to squeeze him in a tight hug. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"What're ya thanking me for?"

"I know you don't want me to move out," she said, looking back up at him sympathetically. "I'm thanking you for not holding me back and letting me do what I feel is best. I almost thought you'd find one leaky faucet and throw a fit about how the plumbing could be bad and tell me I can't move in here."

He snorted in amusement. She had him dead to rights on that one.

"How am I supposed to say no to that pretty smile of yours?" He pinched her cheek and gave it a short tug, laughing when she squeaked and tried to pull away. "I'd be the shittiest man alive if I took away yer happiness like that. I'm already a pretty shitty guy. Don't want to risk sinking any lower."

"You're not that bad," she reassured, pushing onto her toes to sneak him a quick kiss. "At least you know forcing me to stay with you wouldn't be a good thing to do."

"Doesn't stop me from thinking about it," he muttered. She blinked up at him curiously. "I've liked havin' ya around all the time. It feels good comin' home to find my girl waiting for me."

She gave him another sympathetic smile. "Someday," she promised, and damn if he didn't want to believe her. She pulled out of his arms, managing a wider smile as she turned her back to the railing, gesturing to a corner of the deck. "Right there. You're going to help me pick out some awesome grill I'll never use myself so you can come over all the time and make me that steak dinner you promised."

He turned to face the deck with her, chuckling. Even when he thought about doing something shitty, like making her stay, she was still trying to make him feel better.

"Ya don't have to get anything fancy. As long as it fires up, I can work with it." His arm draped around her shoulder again as he forced himself to relax. "Put yer money into gettin' a big screen TV for the living room so when we watch movies together, you can really see the blood spray over everything."

"Ew," she cringed. "No."

"Fine, get the fancy TV so you can see that romantic shit all crystal clear. Probably see the spit in the corner of their mouths when they start makin' out." She giggled, nestling against his side. He squeezed her shoulder. "So… These plans of yours with this place - Ya really want to include me in them?"

"Of course," she huffed. "Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. Ya just seem to be in such a hurry to get out of my place. Figured you were trying to escape me or something."

"I told you I just need a little bit of space. It has nothing to do with you." He sent her a disbelieving look that had her rolling her eyes at him. "I need to be able to study in peace, and I can't do that with you and your friends around. You've all been sweet taking care of me with this fishmen thing, and I appreciate it a lot, but a girl needs her space. I still want you around._ A lot_. Like… I want you here so much that Killer starts to wonder if you moved out with me."

"Really?" His brow rose. That didn't sound too bad.

She nodded. "You didn't figure that out when I claimed a corner of the closet for your clothes and even started mentally organizing the bathroom for your stuff?" Nami huffed again, her cheeks puffing and turning pink. She looked away in a vain attempt to hide it, but the look made his anxiety vanish and all he wanted to do was devour her with kisses. She meant what she said. "I like going to sleep with you beside me. I like waking up to find you snoring and talking in your sleep, or playing with my hair because you can't sleep. I like having you paint my nails, and sitting around watching some stupid sitcom while we eat. I just… I like having you around and I don't want that to cha – "

He cut her off by spinning her to face him and slamming his lips to hers. Hand cupping her face, he poured every bit of relief he felt from her small confession into the kiss. She was in shock, too stunned to think until he nipped her lower lip and she opened her mouth with a gasp. She wanted him around. She didn't want their arrangement to change, not entirely. She wanted to live with him, she just wasn't one hundred percent ready to make it official, but the sentiment was still there.

She felt the same way he did, or at least she was getting there.

He wasn't sure how long they stood out there kissing. Long enough for his hand to find her ass and pull her tight against her body. Long enough for him to swallow her mewls and gasps as he rolled her hips into him. Long enough to almost not hear the throat clearing by the door, too distracted by the blood rushing from his brain to other places to be bothered by the sound.

The throat cleared again, much louder, and Nami shoved him away panting for air. She turned blurry, distant eyes to the house and Kid struggled to follow her gaze. She squeaked in alarm at her friend's knowing amusement.

"I take it you've come to a decision?" Robin asked from where she leaned in the doorframe. Her eyes flit between the two of them, and Kid didn't know what to think about the warmth in her gaze when it landed on him for a second.

"Yes," Nami chirped, grinning wide as her hands clamped down on his waist. "We'll take it."

His eyes shot back to her, wide in surprise at the wording she used. _We'll take it. We'll take it_. Whether it was conscious or not, he was included in her decision.

"I see," Robin hummed, voice thick with mirth. She caught onto Nami's wording, too. "Then I'll speak with the realtor and have him start drawing things up." She snickered and turned to go back into the house, but not before that steady, knowing gaze landed on him. "I look forward to having _you both_ in the neighborhood."

Either Nami didn't pick up on Robin's words, or she didn't care, because the second the door was closed, she turned to him again. Her hands cupped his face and she dragged him down to resume their kisses, this time bubbly and excited, mixed with laughter and wide grins.

"I can't wait to christen this place," she whispered against his lips between pecks.

"Christen?" he asked, brow high as she sprinkled her kisses over his cheek, her arms wrapping around his neck to hold him in place.

He groaned when she nipped his ear, and squeezed her tight when her hot breath fanned over his sensitive skin. "Mhm," she hummed, followed by another naughty bite. "I had some ideas about how you could help me put that island in the kitchen to good use." His breath was caught in his throat as his mind immediately followed her line of thought. Seems his sweet kitten's been hiding some very dirty thoughts from him. "And then that tub… Oh, we could have a lot of fun in that."

They could, and they _would_.

He couldn't wait to get her moved in.

* * *

_**A/N: **Kid is trying so hard right now. It pains me. At least Nami is finally coming to terms with her feelings and being more open with him about them. Progress._

_And by the way, this fic is slowly winding down. I'm thinking ten more chapters, maybe a few more. But hey, I have the mafia AU I just started for KidNa and DrakeRobin, plus the family fic (which I know exactly how I'm going to end it and it's gOING TO BE SO FLUFFY), and I have an idea for a canon KidNa fic that I want to write eventually, so no shortage of this pairing for a while. I blame Kid for that. The bastard and his feelings that he's not supposed to have. _


	27. Chapter 27

_Admittedly, I rushed through this chapter. This fic is really not built in a way that it's easy (for me) to interject action. I tried, but really I just wanted to get beyond this plot point to get to more important pieces of the plot (and all the drama to come with them). Hopefully it's okay enough. *shrugs*_

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_An Undesired Plan With a Desired Outcome_

He was _not_ happy. And everyone knew it.

Jinbei and Hachi finally came back with some useful information two weeks after Nami's attack and break in. The new fishmen gang had been targeting the district's representative and his children. It even came to light that the gang leader, Hody, had been behind the death of the representative's wife some years before over her stance on the divide between races. The guy was definitely a sick bastard, killing a perfectly decent person in a world ruled by scum. Kid liked him even less.

That wasn't what had him so ticked off; it was Jinbei's idiotic plan to draw out Hody and his main officers that had his teeth itching.

"I refuse to let my girlfriend be literal _fish bait_," he growled in the middle of Franky's living room.

All of Nami's friends were there, as well as his. If they were potentially facing an army, they needed every fighter they could get.

Everyone in the room turned to him. He ignored Nami's frustrated sigh, too busy exchanging glares with Jinbei.

"I don't like the idea, either, but we need to make sure Hody is seen attacking not only a human, but also an innocent teenage mermaid," Jinbei explained with an exasperated sigh. "Shirahoshi is well loved, and Hody has made more than enough threats that I know he'd willingly attack her."

"Then let him attack her! Don't drag Nami into it!" Kid shouted.

"There's a chance he won't attack her in public that easily. With the added incentive of taking out Nami, he might be more willing to act rashly."

"We'll be with them, too," Hachi commented. He sat between Jinbei and some mermaid named Keimi that he and Nami were friends with. She was tasked to get Shirahoshi out of there the second the fight began. He didn't flinch when Kid's glare landed on him, merely frowned back stubbornly with his arms crossed. "You know Nami can fight for herself. She was one of Arlong's officers, we didn't let her run around without at least knowing how to defend herself."

"I know she can defend herself," he growled. "But what if this bastard decides not to risk another fight after she lit up some of his men? What if he decides it'd be easier to gun her down and be done with it? She can't punch a fucking bullet."

"That's a risk we'll have to take," Jinbei sighed. "I'm confident, though, that he'll want to attack directly."

Kid growled and looked toward Nami. "You can't be okay with this," he said to her.

"I don't love the idea, no, but it's the best plan we have," she said. "If this works, and we can beat Hody and his officers, then the other gangs will scatter. After that, I won't have to walk around looking over my shoulder, and we can stop him from hurting other people."

"Yer supposed to be a fucking coward," he hissed.

"Just because I get scared easily, doesn't mean I can't fight," she snapped back. "I won't let my friends keep fighting my battles for me."

Her determination was admirable, but he still didn't like it.

"If it looks bad, I want ya out of there," he argued.

She rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine," she said. "And as you said, I'm a coward. If it looks too dangerous, I'll run away like I always do. Stop worrying so much."

He huffed, mildly satisfied with her promise to run away if she felt she needed to. "Good… I'd still rather ya be out of this fight," he muttered.

Her eyes rolled again, this time paired with a sigh. "I'm fighting. Stop bitching about it."

His only response was a muffled snarl before he turned away from her, his arms crossed stubbornly. He was still fuming about the plan. He could see the reason in it, and he knew that if he didn't feel the way he did about Nami, he wouldn't give a shit about using her as bait. Hell, he'd suggest it himself. But he was in love with her, and the last thing he wanted to see was her get hurt again… or worse.

He half-listened to the rest of the conversation, too tense and caught up in his concerns to bother giving it his full focus. All that mattered was they would act on the plan that Friday. Nami would be shopping with Shirahoshi, Hachi, Keimi, and Robin, acting like it was any average day. They'd visit their favorite store, have lunch at an outdoor cafe, basically do everything they could to be as visible as possible and wait for _something_ to happen. The rest of them would take up spots around the district to keep an eye out for suspicious movement and be ready for an attack.

Kid had every intention of stalking Nami throughout the day. He wouldn't trust anyone else to keep her safe.

By the time the meeting was over, Kid was tense and still stuck in his thoughts. He didn't even think to move until a soft hand rested on his shoulder and stirred him from his worries. He glanced up at Nami's sympathetic gaze.

"Trust me, Kid," she said quietly, her hand squeezing his shoulder. "I'll be fine. And I know you'll be right behind the whole day to keep me safe. Right?"

His eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't discussed his intentions with the others, yet she guessed exactly what he planned to do. Her smile grew and she giggled.

"I trust that you won't let me get hurt," she added.

His shoulders relaxed with her confidence and a grin spread over his face. "Damn right, Kitten. I ain't takin' my eyes off ya for a second." He reached up to squeeze her hand in his, and then picked himself up from the couch he sat at. His friends were in the kitchen, chatting with Zoro and Sanji while they waited for him. He nodded their way and then the door to signal he was ready to go. "Anybody tries to lay a finger on ya," he continued as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the door, "I'll snap their necks and have Killer filet 'em. No one hurts my girl as long as I'm around."

She snickered, nestling against his side. "Now there's my confident boyfriend. I was starting to wonder if you were somebody else with how much you were worrying."

"Hey, just 'cause I know I can kick anyone's ass, and even if I know ya ain't weak, I still don't like the idea of puttin' you in danger. Any guy who'd be okay with his girl gettin' hurt is trash." He growled and squeezed her tight. "This better work."

"It will," she sighed. "I have a good feeling about it."

* * *

She didn't have a good feeling about the plan anymore.

It wasn't that she was scared. Because she _was_ scared. She was _always _scared. At that point in her life, she knew she had to put on a tough front and hope for the best. She trusted her friends, she trusted her own strength. Everything would be _fine_.

Except she had an idiot for a boyfriend who was currently more terrifying than anyone who might be looking to attack her.

She knew he was going to stalk her that day. It was obvious just looking at him during the meeting that it was what he had in mind. He wouldn't leave anything to chance. At first she thought it would make her feel safe, stay relaxed as they wandered around Fishman District. And early on, knowing that it was his gaze she felt weighing on her back, it had comforted her, distracted her from any number of dangers lurking.

But then she caught sight of him.

Kid had his burgundy hoodie on, zipped up to his collarbones. The hood was up, shrouding his face while he wore a black ball cap to keep his recognizable hair out of sight. His baggy tan cargo pants hung low on his hips, three heavy chains hanging from his belt on his right side adding to the thug-like appearance. When she caught his narrow eyed gaze, she fought off a shiver and forced herself to move on, back stiffer than it had been all day.

She didn't relax again until she came out of _Crimin_ with far more bags than necessary and a new red bikini top to show off for the rest of the day. Kid was waiting around the corner of the store, and when she walked by, she heard him growl.

"Lookin' good there, Kitten."

She didn't glance his way as she snorted in amusement, lips curving in a subtle grin. At least he wasn't so stressed that he couldn't find a second to shamelessly flirt with her.

The moment didn't last long.

Fifteen minutes later, while they were lingering at an open park, trying to decide where to eat, Nami noticed movement down the street heading in their direction. Her eyes went wide at the sight of ten men stalking toward them. A few wore hoods up, hiding who they were, but one with stark white hair led the way, a grin on his face that nearly made her shiver in fear, he didn't bother hiding.

She elbowed Hachi hard, and nodded toward the gang. He sucked in a breath and leaned down to whisper in Keimi's ear.

"Well, well, if it isn't the city's beloved Shirahoshi, our own little princess, out shopping with lowly humans," the man leading the pack spoke up. His eyes set on Nami who forced herself to stand straight and glare. "And not just any human, but Arlong's wench." Her lip curled in a sneer at the title. "Our people really have no self-respect anymore."

"Hody," Hachi spoke up, nudging his way to stand in front of them. "You don't understand-"

"_I_ don't understand?" Hody laughed. "I'm pretty sure it's you who doesn't understand. The humans will never respect us, and so why should we respect them? They enslave us. So why not enslave them?" Nami hated how his eyes searched for her and he spared her a mocking smile. "You've gone soft. Arlong, too. You're all traitors to your own race."

Nami bit back a growl as Hody nodded for his men to circle in on them. Shirahoshi was still there, the large mer-girl whimpering, but forcing herself not to panic just yet. She would be safe. Nami wouldn't let anything happen to her, and the second she was scared, she was instructed to scream for Luffy. He'd come running. Hell, he was probably being forcibly restrained by Jinbei right now.

Nami tossed her bags onto the ground to slide a wooden staff from the belt she wore. She didn't bring her prototype. If she used it again, she could seriously jeopardize her whole program. She would have to fight the old fashioned way.

In the blink of an eye, three fishmen rushed their way, intent on getting to Shirahoshi first. The girl screamed when one man got his hands on her hair, trying to pull her to the ground. Hachi went to fight him, but he struggled to get the other man to relinquish his grip in the girls' hair.

Robin intercepted another man, grabbing him by the wrist and flipping him to the ground. She was a skilled fighter in close combat, better than Nami. Robin didn't even blink when she wrenched the man's arm around to an unnatural angle. He shouted in pain when the arm dislocated.

Idly she noticed Kid coming toward one of the fishmen still hanging back, jacket and hat tossed away so she could see the rippling cords of muscle exposed by his blank tank as he prepared to fight. He waited for the man to take notice of him, and when he did, Kid didn't waste a moment throwing a swing at his jaw, a wild grin on his face. He was supposed to wait until the call for help, but she knew that was as impossible as getting Luffy to wait. She should have told Killer to stay with him. There might have been a chance to hold him back a few seconds longer.

Nami didn't have time to remark on his early entrance as she swung her bo staff into the stomach of another fishman. The force took his breath, slowing him, and with a quick flip of her weapon, she smacked him beneath the chin to send his head flying back. Another low swing took out his legs, and he was flat on his back a second later.

She had to take care of him and help Hachi get Shirahoshi out of there. Keimi was doing her best to help the other fishman, but she wasn't a fighter, and getting close meant she was in danger, too.

Nami was about to crack her opponent's skull with her staff when the first gunshot rang in her ear.

The bullet grazed her right arm and she bit her lip to hold back the cry of pain welling in her throat. Her hand loosened around her staff, letting it fall to the ground with a clatter of wood on cement, and stumbled from the fishman she was fighting to grasp at the searing wound to her upper arm.

She heard Kid shout, but her attention was straight forward on the grinning fishman standing beside Hody. She really should have fried that bastard when she had a chance.

"Oops," he chuckled, "missed."

Distracted, she didn't see her opponent clamber up from the ground, intent on rushing her before she could grab her weapon again. When his shadow fell on her, she finally turned her attention back to him, eyes wide at how close he was, and ducked down to avoid the punch he threw her way. She grappled for her staff, spun away from another hit. Another gunshot missed her wide and she snapped her eyes toward the man who had nearly killed her weeks before. He seemed sickly amused.

Kid was growling, struggling to break free of two more fishmen that had rushed into the fight. He knocked one out cold, the other was on the ground snapping at his legs.

In the chaos, she vaguely heard Shirahoshi scream for Luffy.

As her best friend roared in to knock out the fishman going after the girl, Nami went back to worrying about herself. Luffy would handle that fight, help cover so the girl could escape with Keimi. She just had to survive long enough for him to get to Hody.

Her staff back in her hands, Nami swung at her opponent, but it was clumsy. She was too mindful of the other one shooting at her. She was careful to at least keep her opponent between her and the other fishman, preventing him from getting a clean shot, but it was struggle. One she was losing.

One misstep had her falling back, leaving her open to a strike. She closed her eyes to brace herself, but the hit never came. When she looked up, all she found was long blond hair in front of her as Killer came running in with the rest to hold back the fishman.

"Oi! Kid!" He shouted back while Kid knocked out the other man getting in his way. Killer adjusted the grip he had on her opponent's outstretched arm, pulled him forward, and slammed a hand into the man's face with enough force to knock out two teeth. "I'll handle this," he said as Kid came their way. Killer pointed to the man with the gun. "That's the guy who attacked her the other day."

If Kid wasn't angry enough before, that one sentence was enough to make him snap.

"Stay with Killer, Nami," Kid ordered as he stalked past, the words barely breaking up his endless growl. She knew better than to argue with him right then, and managed a nod she didn't think he even saw, his whole focus was so set on the fishman slowly making his way forward.

At least the other man put away his gun. It seemed he was saving those bullets for her.

She only watched Kid throw the first punch at his new opponent before she realized she couldn't just sit there, not when more fishmen were trickling into the area, other gangs coming to help Hody. Killer sent one more punch into his opponent's face to knock him out cold, and reached out a hand to help her get her bearings.

"How's the arm?" he asked.

"Sore, but I've had worse," she answered, grabbing her staff. "I can still fight."

"Good." He smirked, as he pulled out his knives and stared down the other gangs coming at them. "'Cause I don't think running's an option anymore."

He didn't have to tell her that.

Even if there was an escape to be found among the fifty or so fishmen that had joined in the fight, she wasn't about to run away again.

She was serious – she would stand and fight with her friends.

* * *

The fight felt like it took forever. In reality it only lasted about fifteen minutes. By the time Luffy got to Hody, the other gangs that had come in began to edge back. Once Hody's officers were knocked out cold, one in particular barely clinging to life after Kid was through with him, the other fishmen began a hasty retreat as the district's police force filtered in. Jinbei had arranged things with them to see that only the fishmen gang was arrested, so they didn't have to worry about running away, too.

Which was good because Luffy was still trading blows with Hody and the sight of it was making Nami's stomach sink at the grim reminder of how hard he fought Arlong all those years ago.

It took Shirahoshi's brother coming in to restrain Hody for Luffy to get a solid punch in that knocked the man out. Hachi had informed them that the new fishmen gang had been experimenting with various drugs, enhancements to gain additional strength on top of what they had naturally, and that was likely why it was so difficult to take him down. She couldn't help but think about what Arlong's opinion would have been of them.

_Extremely low_.

"Hey, Nami," Kid called out as he made his way back to her. He had a cut above his right eye, some bruising beneath his lip, but otherwise looked perfectly fine. And he was grinning, which said more than enough. "How's the arm?"

"Barely a scratch," she huffed, angling her arm so he could see. She had stayed by Killer throughout the fight, and only had a few more light bruises to end the night. Killer made sure to cover for her when she had a hard time. He took his role as bodyguard seriously. "See? It's already clotted."

Kid gingerly took her arm to inspect the wound closer, his grin slipping into a frown. "We'll have Wire get ya bandaged up," he decided, looking back up with a smile. "You were kicking ass before that dick took a shot at ya."

"I told you I can fight," she snickered, sticking her tongue out at him.

He chuckled and reached to ruffle her hair. "Yeah, ya ain't so bad. These guys were pretty weak, though."

"Let me enjoy a small victory, at least," she huffed, poking his stomach.

He was about to tease her more but they were distracted by a commotion among the district's police officers.

"You have no jurisdiction here," one of them growled. Nami strained to see beyond the line of fishmen officers that surrounded the open space, barricading it from anyone else looking to cause trouble.

"I'm not here to interfere with your work," a voice that was annoyingly familiar carried over the din.

"Oi, Nami," Zoro hissed as he came over to them. "That voice…"

"I know," she groaned. Kid glanced at the police, then her and Zoro, and then back to the police, brows furrowed in confusion.

"I'm only here for one person," the man continued before shoving his way through the fishmen. His eyes landed on her, dark with amusement as a grin spread over his face. "And there she is."

Nezumi.

She openly growled at the officer, the sound apparently startling Kid who stiffened at her side. Zoro was already moving forward, and Kid began to shove her back as the police officer she hated more than any other came toward them.

Tired chuckles echoed from the ring of arrested fishmen, and she shot a glare to them. Hody was looking right at her, his bloody and bruised face twisted in a mocking grin. That bastard planned this.

"Cat Thief Nami," Officer Nezumi called out as he came to a stop a few yards away, apparently thinking better of coming closer with the men surrounding her. All of her friends stood between them. Nezumi wasn't alone as more human officers filed in through the opening their superior created in the district police. There was no way they could fight all of them.

"Officer Rat-Face," she greeted with false cheer, shoving her way forward. Kid grabbed her wrist, but she shook off his hold and shot him a look that said not to get in her way. "What do I owe this pleasant surprise?"

"I'm here to arrest you," he answered, glaring at the nickname she gave him. "Like I should have two years ago."

She clearly heard Kid growl, but he was restrained by Killer.

"On what charges?" she asked calmly, her arms crossed over her chest while she idly twirled her staff back and forth. She didn't miss the way he glanced at her staff. After the guys gave him a small beating, she doubled it with her staff when he started trash talking and making threats two years before.

"Let's see, where to start?" He snickered his obnoxious, rat-like laugh. "Thievery, extortion, illegal gambling – " She interrupted to snort at that one. She didn't run the gambling rings, she stole from them. "Aiding and abetting a known felon, assault on a police officer – " She gave him another derisive snort, even sparing him a cold smirk. "And lastly," he went on with a short glare, "accomplice to murder."

Her amusement dropped at the last charge. She had never been accomplice to a murder…. Unless…

"We have statements that corroborate your involvement with the gang that murdered one former police officer by the name of Bellemere –"

"You bastard," she growled, stepping forward without a thought, staff in hand and prepared to strike at him again.

"Nami," Hachi called out, rushing in to step in her way. "Hold on," he urged, turning to face the officer. "That was her mother. Arlong killed her, and I took Nami on his orders. If you're looking to arrest someone for that, then arrest me."

"Hachi," she said, frowning.

"Oh? But from what I hear she was privy to all of your gang activity, including other murders in the area. She even assaulted a child who came after Arlong for murdering his father." Nezumi snickered again and waved for his officers to swarm her.

"How do you even know about that?" She hissed, leaping away when an officer made a grab for her.

"I have my sources," he snickered. "I'm certain your boss would love to finally have your company in prison."

She held his gaze for a moment, still shaking off the officers grabbing for her.

"You're that set on arresting me, aren't you? What? Did it hurt your pride when my friends took care of a gang that you couldn't be bothered to deal with yourself?" she asked with a raised brow. "Or maybe it's because it hurt your _wallet_?"

"Shut your mouth," he hissed, shooting a look at the officers around her. They looked confused as they froze where they stood, glancing between their superior and her.

"They don't know?" she asked, her voice dripping with innocence as she batted her eyes at him. She sauntered through the officers to stand directly in front of Nezumi, daring him to make her not spill his own dirty little secret. His lip curled and she spun to face everyone. "They don't know that you were pocketing bribes for years from Arlong? That you had plenty of opportunity to save my town from his terror, but you stood by and counted your cash?"

"She's lying! She's a con-artist!" Nezumi argued to the shocked looks of the other officers.

She let herself laugh when he shot forward to grab her wrist and yank her back. All her friends took a step forward, save for Kid who was being restrained by Killer as he snarled at the officer slapping a cold metal cuff around her wrist.

"Hachi? Am I lying?" Nami asked, smiling sweetly at the octopus fishman while she allowed Nezumi to finish cuffing her arms behind her back.

"No. We had him on our payroll for about four years." Hachi nodded, arms crossed over his chest as he sent Nezumi a determined glare. "We also sold out your stash, letting him raid it and keep most of the money for himself. Barring he didn't harm you, of course."

Nezumi ripped her staff from her hand and tossed it to the ground in front of her. She rolled her eyes at his attempts to disarm her.

"Well, he didn't harm me, but he did shoot my sister," she angled her head to sneer at him. "He shot an innocent civilian and _confiscated_ some petty cash from a thief rather than arrest a gang leader who was terrorizing the area. I take it your men don't know that story, do they? Did the station transfer you? Did you lose all the dirty cops you surrounded yourself with?"

"Shut up," he hissed, jerking on her arms. "You're under arrest."

"No, I'm not," she said with a shrug. She glanced over at a scowling Jinbei. "You'll take care of this for me, right?"

Jinbei's frown deepened and he cocked his head to the side. "It's not really my jurisdiction, but I can probably pull some strings. You might have to spend a night or two in jail, but –"

"No I won't," she interrupted, flashing him a smile.

Reaching for her staff with her foot, she slipped her toes under the wood and kicked it high in the air. Nezumi was distracted behind her, warily watching the staff, and didn't pay any attention as she tilted her head forward before pitching it back, right into his mouth. He staggered at the force, releasing his grip on her arms. With practiced ease, she leaped up, curling into a ball, and swept her cuffed hands beneath her feet. When she landed again, her hands were in front of her, ready to catch her staff before it hit the ground.

She heard her friends shocked gasps as she spun around and swung the staff hard into Nezumi's head.

She downed multiple fishmen with that hit, and a human like Nezumi didn't stand a chance. He crumpled to the ground unconscious without any more fight.

Wearing a proud grin, she turned to the gaping police officers and her laughing friends. Jinbei had his face covered with a hand, sighing to himself. He was going to have his hands full covering up the fact she had just assaulted a police officer… _again_.

"Does someone want to un-cuff me, or should I do it myself?" she asked, holding her hands out to the other officers.

They all balked when they glanced at the staff in her hand, and she let out a tired sigh. Looked like she would have to do it herself.

She slipped the handcuff key from Nezumi's pocket while Jinbei and Hachi went to talk to the next police officer in charge of the group. The head of the district's police force joined them as they spoke in hushed tones. Nami wasn't worried one bit.

"Holy shit," Kid said as he slipped through the crowd of officers. He was grinning smugly at her, as were all her friends behind him. "That was the hottest thing I've ever seen you do… And that includes straddling me and –" She smacked her hand over his wide grin to stop him from saying anything more.

She glowered when she felt his tongue dart out and lick her palm, mirth shining in his eyes.

"Not another word," she hissed. She felt his grin spread beneath her hand and she pulled it away with one last warning glare.

"But seriously, Kitten," he went on, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I wonder if I should be shakin' in my boots 'cause my girl's pretty damn scary."

"Ha. Ha." She feigned amusement at his slightly mocking tone.

"Can't believe I'm dating a serious criminal mastermind," he continued, ignoring her eye roll as he tugged her against his side. "If ya have to go on the run, I totally understand. I'll go with ya. We can play Bonnie and Clyde together." She snorted in amusement at that, but Kid wasn't done. He leaned down to brush his lips against her ear. "Or maybe I can just grab those cuffs, play Cops and Robbers, and arrest ya myself. Lock ya up in my room for stealing from me."

"I don't remember stealing anything from you, Kid," she giggled. "You got your wallet back."

"I ain't talkin' about my wallet," he whispered. He didn't elaborate at her raised brow, only gave her a quick kiss to the temple.

Jinbei's throat clearing drew their attention to them. One of the human police officers stepped forward, unwilling to meet Nami's gaze. He coughed nervously, and waved at his men to go toward them. They froze when Kid growled and held her closer. He obviously wasn't about to let her get arrested.

"It's alright," Jinbei spoke up. "They're not taking her."

"Yes," the officer said with a stuttered nod. "It seems we were given false information. Clearly a misunderstanding. We'll take Nezumi back to the station and handle his discipline from there." He turned to the fishman officer and gave him a more apologetic nod. "We'll get out of your way here."

Nami and Kid stepped away from Nezumi to let the officers take him. She grinned when his head fell forward awkwardly and she caught the angry, purple lump forming over his temple. Seeing that was as cathartic as it had been the first time she beat the shit out of him.

"Alright!" Luffy called out, leaping up onto a nearby bench with his hands raised over his head. He was bruised and bleeding, but that didn't hinder his grin. "Let's go party!"

Nami laughed at his enthusiasm and turned to Kid. "What do you say? Want to come party with my friends?"

"Tsh, ya don't even have to ask, Kitten," he chuckled, nudging her toward her friends. "After that fight, I could use a good party. Gotta celebrate my bad-ass ex-con girlfriend, too."

"I'm not an ex-con," she snapped playfully.

"Pretty damn close," he snorted.

"I don't want to hear that from the man who called me at four in the morning to bail him out of jail," she said, spinning to point up at him. "I think you're closer to being an ex-con than I am."

He hummed and snatched her finger from her face, pushing her to follow after their friends to the cars they had parked a few blocks away. She saw Kiemi had her bags and was trailing after Hachi. "Guess ya got a point," Kid said. "That just shows we're perfect for each other."

She snorted, but couldn't find an argument to that. He knew it, too, judging by his wide grin.

"Now come on," he said, spinning her forward and giving her ass a quick swat. "Let's get patched up so we can party." She batted his hand away and began to walk ahead of him. "Then I want to get ya home," he continued, low enough so only she could hear. She heard a rattle of metal above her, and then her eyes widened as he dangled a set of handcuffs in front of her face. "I want to put these to good use."

Her jaw dropped.

She can't believe he actually took the handcuffs.

It didn't look like she'd be sleeping that night.

* * *

_**A/N:** I just had to include Nezumi because he's an asshole, but a weak one. Also Kid totally loves seeing his girlfriend knock out a cop. He's so proud of her._

_But yeah, I'm pretty blah with this chapter since it is so rushed with the action. Hopefully the rest of the fic flows smoother since it's back to the normal romance and drama._


	28. Chapter 28

_I'm just gonna say that this chapter ended in a way that I absolutely did not expect and I am screaming._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_Heart Pounding_

With the Fishman gang dealt with and no longer a threat, Nami was free to move into her new home. The weeks before the townhouse was ready for her, were spent cleaning up her old apartment and shopping for new furniture. Kid volunteered to help Franky with the apartment in order to avoid her shopping trips, which were taken with Robin, Sanji, and Zoro tagging along most of the time. He wasn't going to get out of helping her move, though.

Moving out of Kid's after growing accustomed to the new routine was going to be bittersweet. She had meant what she said about having him around as much as possible when she moved into the new place. She had come to appreciate his presence in her daily life, no matter how simple and almost domestic their nights were together. It was a comfort she had never imagined having with him.

While Kid claimed that his favorite part of having her there was all the sex he could have, she knew that wasn't the case for either of them. He certainly took advantage of that early on, but as the weeks wore on, there were nights that they went to sleep without doing more than share a few kisses as they laid there talking. They had gone into their relationship with a mutual attraction pulling them together, now she could say what they had was a real relationship, one with a genuine friendship and bond.

Even better, Kid was getting along with her friends. Franky had taken to him quickly, becoming a big brother figure and giving Kid an outlet for his interests that he didn't have before. That hadn't surprised her, but it made her no less happy. After a few visits to her old house to see the guys, though, Kid started getting along with Luffy and Usopp, the latter especially surprising to her. Usopp was still scared of her boyfriend, but it was offset by their mutual interests in Franky's work, and Kid's unexpected appreciation for some of Usopp's design work. As far as Luffy went, Kid found him amusing and a ton of fun, even if his hyperactive personality could grate on his nerves after a while. Those two genuinely liked and respected each other, and that had Nami thrilled.

Zoro and Sanji were the last to warm up to him. Sanji got along great with Killer, which helped him open up to accepting Kid. On the other hand, Kid was not a huge fan of Sanji, mostly because of the blond's perpetual fawning over her and Robin. He was still learning to ignore it and let Nami handle him. With Zoro, Nami felt they respected each other, and they were capable of sitting around and having a beer together, but Zoro wasn't inclined to start conversations with Kid, and vice versa. It was only lately that she caught the two joking about something to do with Sanji, and there was a night at the bar they had teamed up in a game of billiards against two other regulars at Shakky's. They won and when Zoro gave Kid a friendly punch in the arm after a winning shot, Nami guessed that meant they were on good terms.

It was vital that they all got along. The more she grew to care for the Kid, the more she wanted her friends to approve of him. She was starting to think ahead to a future that she wanted to include him in, and that meant their independent circles of friends would be around each other more often. If he was able to hang out with her friends, that meant she didn't have to worry about picking between him and the people in her life who were so important to her.

When she was in her own place again, that would be of vital importance to their relationship.

Some part of her was worried that the bond they had begun to form would weaken with the distance, and she suspected Kid had that same concern, even if he would never voice it. He begrudgingly understood why she needed to move out, doubly so after Killer walked in on them when they were in the dining room…_ not eating_. She needed her privacy. They both needed their privacy. And they wouldn't get that in a house with three other men who could walk into the room at the most inopportune time because Kid sometimes had a hard time keeping his hands off her.

Moving out was for the best, even if some part of her wished she could stay.

The day of her move came faster than she expected, but when it came, she was up bright and early with a small army of men, and Robin, to help. Kid was not pleased with how early she dragged him out of bed – which she literally had to do. Once he was out of bed, he was little better than a whining child that had her rolling her eyes enough to make her dizzy.

He didn't want to be up at the crack of dawn. He didn't want pancakes for breakfast because he didn't want to be up for breakfast. He didn't want to lend her one of his shirts to wear during the move because he only wanted her to wear it in his bed. He didn't want to help pack the things she had at his house. He didn't want to carry furniture all day. He didn't want to do anything but sleep, preferably with her in his bed. He didn't want her to move, even if he knew it was for the best.

The first two hours of the morning were spent smacking him upside the head and enduring his snarls. By the time she kindly reminded him that there was a large tub at her new place and that if he was a good boy and helped, she would give him a backrub in the bath, he was in a slightly more agreeable mood.

In order to save money, Nami had enlisted the help of Kid, Killer, and all of her friends. They had Kid's SUV and Killer's Jeep to load boxes in, and Franky's truck for her new furniture waiting to be picked up. She was not about to pay for delivery fees, or movers, or even a moving truck when she had plenty of willing friends… depending on your definition of _willing_.

"Alright, so here's the plan," Nami called out to her friends in the parking lot outside her old apartment. Kid was slumped over the hood of his car beside her, grumbling under his breath that it was too damn early to follow a plan. She shut him up with a smack to his head, and he buried his face in his arms with a growl, but no further protest. "Sanji-kun," she said, pointing to the blond, "you'll be handling the kitchen with Usopp."

"Yes, Nami-swan!" Sanji called out, standing straight with his hand on his forehead in salute.

"Franky and Robin," she said, turning to the pair, "I need you two to help set up and unpack my bedroom and office. I already planned how I want it arranged with Robin, so you won't need my supervision."

"Got it, girlie," Franky saluted, Robin nodding beside him.

"Zoro, Kid and Killer," she said, smacking her boyfriend on the back of his head to get his attention, and then kicking Zoro where he sat on the ground at her other side, napping quietly. "You three will help with bringing in the living room and dining room furniture." She ignored Kid's groan and turned to Killer. "Can you put together the dining room table by yourself?"

Killer nodded.

"Good, then that leaves Kid and Zoro to help me arrange the living room and set up my new entertainment center." She ignored Kid's second, and louder, groan.

"Nami, what about me!?" Luffy called out from the hood of Franky's truck, waving eagerly to get her attention.

She frowned at him. She still wasn't quite sure what duty to give him. He definitely couldn't be trusted to help in the kitchen, at least not after Sanji went to the grocery store to stock her fridge for her. He was good for heavy lifting, but his attention span wasn't ideal for arranging furniture.

"You'll help carry boxes in," Nami decided. "And…" She glanced over at Killer. "I suppose you can help Killer set up the dining room if he needs it." Killer nodded his agreement at that plan. He had the patience to keep Luffy on task, and not get annoyed if the younger man ran off to do something else. "And Franky might be able to use your help to put together my new bedroom set while Robin's unpacking my office." The other two nodded, as well. They had more than enough experience dealing with Luffy's attention span, they should be a good option for him, too. "But, under no circumstances will you go near my kitchen."

"But what if I get hungry?" Luffy whined.

"I'm ordering pizza for lunch," she said, rolling her eyes when he fell back on the hood with a shout of glee.

"I don't want pizza," Kid grumbled beside her.

She smacked him again. "That's too bad. You'll eat whatever I order and stop complaining."

Kid released a long suffering groan, but didn't argue.

"And when Sanji goes to the store, I'll make sure he picks up a case of beer," she added. That case would be gone before the afternoon was out between Zoro and Kid, but it should be enough to placate the both of them.

Kid's responding groan sounded more begrudging, but at least she took it to mean he was fine with that.

Nami rolled her eyes one last time, kicked Zoro awake again, and pointed to her apartment building. "Let's get to work, guys."

As her friends trickled off toward the building, Nami grabbed Kid by the arm to stop him. He glared down at her, but his annoyance was lost the moment she pressed her lips to his ear. He huffed to cover up the barest hint of a shiver as he leaned closer.

"Don't forget, Kid," she whispered, smiling as he groaned and shut his eyes to the feeling of her lips fluttering over his skin. "I plan to pay you for your help with my body tonight."

He growled, the sound defeated, and turned to snatch a quick kiss. His eyes opened to spare her a tired glare before he stole one more kiss. "Damn right, ya are."

"Keep complaining, though, and you get nothing," she warned.

He chuckled for the first time that day as he reached down to palm her ass. "Nah, you'll still reward me." His grip loosened as he gave her a quick peck and pulled away. "Now, let's get going, Kitten, before I start thinking about gettin' an advance on that payment."

* * *

She didn't have much to move from her old apartment. Most of it had been destroyed by the fishman gang, but what she could salvage had been carefully packed and organized for each room. She had two boxes of books, one box of kitchenware, and another box with the movies and CDs that hadn't been damaged. Three more boxes contained clothes and shoes to add to what she had packed up from Kid's house, totaling five boxes of clothing that Kid made sure to complain about the most. Those boxes weren't even heavy, except the ones with her shoes, but he still had to say something, especially since one of the boxes from his place were all brand new clothes that she probably didn't need but couldn't help herself from buying over the time she stayed with him. She had to remind him that half of one box had some of his stuff that he was willing to keep at her place, and she had left a drawer of her things to keep at his place.

Most of her furniture had been destroyed, but her dining room table was still in good enough shape to hold onto if she could. It was too bad it didn't fit into her new dining room, so she had to give it up, but she found a perfect replacement at the thrift store she donated it to and got a great deal because of it. Her bureau was definitely going with her. It hadn't been damaged much, only a few scratches in the wood, but it was old and worn so they hardly stood out after Franky sanded the surface down. Kid and Zoro helped carry her bed to Franky's truck and proceeded to get into an argument the whole way down, but it was loaded and no punches were thrown, so she overlooked the fight.

Her couch was heavily damaged, but not in terrible shape, so she donated that to a shelter where they said they could use it after she patched up the tears, along with a stack of old blankets and clothes she couldn't wear anymore. The shelter at least had people to pick all of that up, so it saved the guys from moving it.

The broken coffee table was given to Franky for scrap wood, and he took her old bookcase in the living room to make an attempt at salvaging it for his workspace. The only things she tossed out entirely were the broken dishes, everything else found somewhere to be used again.

Once at her new place, Franky and Robin disappeared upstairs to set up her bedroom and office like planned. Franky handled putting together her new desk, bed frame, and headboard, while Robin unpacked her books and clothes, hung a few pieces of art she had picked out, and organized her bathroom. Downstairs Sanji busied himself in the kitchen with organizing everything, Usopp helping as he was charged to do. Killer somehow managed to keep Luffy focused on the dining room table while she attempted to direct Zoro and Kid in the living room.

"I said to the left, Zoro!" she shouted for the fifth time, pointing toward the side of the living room closest to the arch leading to the front entrance and stairs. Every time she directed them to move the sofa, Kid would move in the direction she told him, while Zoro moved the opposite direction. She knew that was going to happen. It was the crux of his argument with Kid earlier. "Your left!" she shouted again when he swung his end of the sofa further into the living room. "Toward the damn hallway!"

"Why didn't you say that in the first place?" he hollered and finally moved his end in the direction she wanted.

"I said it five times! You should know left from right!"

"Shut up! I know which way is left and right! I thought you meant your left!"

"I was pointing! How did you not get it when I pointed!?"

"Your directions were confusing!"

"You're just an idiot! Now drop the couch there and get the end table and chair from the truck!" Her order was met with both guys literally dropping the couch with a loud thud onto the floor.

Kid snarled as he slumped over his end of the couch. "I'm fuckin' starving, and I can't take any more of this idiot's shitty sense of direction."

Zoro's responding outburst was ignored.

"I ordered the pizza a few minutes ago while you guys were unloading the sofa," Nami sighed, ignoring Luffy's cheer from the dining room.

"I said I don't want pizza."

"Well that's too bad! Now go get the last few pieces so we can get this done!"

"I need a break, too," Zoro said before Kid could argue with her. Her friend went to collapse on the sofa with a heavy sigh.

"We ain't your slave-boys," Kid agreed, throwing himself onto the couch beside Zoro.

"Why are you two agreeing now!?" she shrieked. They both frowned at her, and she threw her hands up in the air in defeat. "Fine, you lazy jerks, just sit there, but you're not getting any of the lunch I bought for everyone."

"Wooo! More for me!" Luffy hollered.

She ignored Sanji peeking out to frown at her. He didn't like her threat, but he held his tongue. She would let them eat, and he knew it, but she was trying to get them to do one more thing before they took a break.

Kid turned to Zoro and smacked his shoulder. "Oi, there's a place with good wings a few blocks away."

"Sounds good to me," Zoro grunted, picking himself up with a groan.

"Killer! You want to come?" Kid called out, ignoring Nami as she gaped at them suddenly siding against her. That wasn't fair.

"Sure," Killer said as he turned her dining room table onto its legs. "I'm done with this." She turned to stare at him, silently urging him to take her side. It really wasn't fair that Kid and Zoro were arguing her. Killer frowned, pursed his lips in thought, and then turned to Kid. "But first we should get the last two pieces of furniture up here for Nami."

Nami grinned victoriously as she turned to a glowering Kid.

"Don't take her fucking side," he grumbled.

"It's only fair since you and Zoro took the same side," Nami huffed.

The two men shared a look while she stood there, arms crossed, foot tapping on the floor. They finally gave in with loud groans and slumped toward the back alley. Killer followed after them, slapping Kid on the back to console his defeat. A few minutes later, the two guys came back, each carrying a piece of small furniture. They dumped the pieces in the middle of the living room before Nami could direct them.

"We'll arrange 'em after lunch," Kid growled, pointing at her to keep her silent. He held her glare for a moment, and when she didn't argue further, he led the way to the door. "We'll be back in a few," he called out.

As Zoro passed by her, she shot him a hard stare. She wanted the guys to get along, but not if it meant they worked against her. Her friend ignored her, as she knew he would, and the second they were gone, she let out a heavy sigh.

"Sanji-kun," she said tiredly, turning to her friend. "Go ahead and take a break. The pizza will be here soon. Can you go down to the store for some drinks?"

"Of course," he said, grinning as he headed toward the back door. "Anything else?"

"Get some non-alcoholic beer," she said, snickering to herself. "We'll hide the good stuff and make those two think that's all I had you get."

"They're going to be pissed," Sanji chuckled.

"Good," she chirped, collapsing onto the sofa. "That should teach them a lesson about fighting me."

* * *

"What the fuck, Nami!?" Kid hollered in her face, holding up a can of warm non-alcoholic beer. "This shit is disgusting!"

"She had the love cook get it on purpose, I bet," Zoro growled, standing beside Kid. His glare was set on the can, as if he could will it to vanish.

Nami shrugged calmly as Kid leaned down and growled. "It was all they had left," she explained sweetly.

"Bullshit," Kid snarled.

"That is honestly the worst lie I've ever heard you tell," Zoro huffed. "Where's the good stuff?"

She blinked at Zoro, trying to look as innocent as possible. "Good stuff? I told you, that's all they had left. I think it's just fine."

That was a load of shit and everyone knew it. There was no way she'd drink cheap, fake beer, which was why she was drinking juice rather than give away she had bottles of ale stashed in the fridge already.

"You ain't even drinking it," Kid pointed out.

"I don't want to drink," she said, shrugging again. "We still have a lot of work to do. This isn't a party. You don't need alcohol."

The look of utter horror that passed over both men's faces nearly made her lose it. She bit the inside of her lip to keep herself from laughing.

"She's right, shitheads," Sanji chimed in. "Hate to say it, but that's all they had when I went to the store."

Their horrified looks turned to anger as the men glared at him. He didn't even bat an eye as he leaned over the island, enjoying a cigarette.

"If you guys had been here, working like you were supposed to, while I sent Sanji-kun to the store, you would have heard that they were out of stock and maybe asked me to send him to the liquor store, instead." Nami's voice was light and uncaring, even as their anger returned to her.

"That's some seriously petty shit there, Kitten," Kid growled.

"And another load of crap," Zoro added. "The love cook would have gone to the liquor store anyway to get you a new bottle of wine."

"Wine? What wine?" Nami's arms spread wide to indicate the kitchen and dining room around her. "Do you see me, or anyone, drinking wine? Obviously I didn't have Sanji-kun pick any up."

Another lie. There was no way she was going without wine to celebrate her first night in her new home. Her refrigerator was well stocked with beer and wine, and she already had a cabinet dedicated to hard liquor. If they wanted to throw a party right then, they were perfectly set up for it.

Zoro immediately looked toward Robin to see what she was drinking. Muffling her snickers with a tight-lipped smile, Robin held up her cup of tea. Franky had a can of cola, but he rarely drank so that was no surprise. Luffy, too, but he was too busy inhaling a whole pizza by himself to drink, or even pay attention to the conversation. Usopp and Sanji each had juice, and Sanji was drinking it with such a smug look, it was obvious he knew there was alcohol somewhere in the house. They all knew the ruse wouldn't last long with those two, but it was still fun to watch them question if it was true.

"Sorry, guys," Killer said where he settled in at her dinner table with a container of chicken wings. He shared a knowing look with Nami. "Looks like you'll have to settle with that."

"Fuck that!" Kid shouted and turned back to seethe at Nami. "I know you got alcohol here somewhere. This prank's gone far enough."

"Prank? This is absolutely not a prank," she huffed. It wasn't. It was punishment.

He leaned in further, lip curled in an impatient snarl. A hand landed on his shoulder, and he glanced toward Zoro beside him.

"I have an idea," Zoro grunted, pointedly looking toward Luffy who was still perched on the counter.

She frowned as she watched Luffy pause in the middle of shoving the last slice of his pizza into his mouth and blinked at the two men now staring at him.

"What?" he asked, or attempted to with his mouth full.

"Where's the beer, Luffy?" Zoro asked.

Nami tried to signal her friend to keep his mouth shut, even though she knew it was futile. He cocked his head to the side as he chewed, glancing between the two men now patiently waiting for his answer and Nami. He swallowed and then grinned.

"Are you two stupid?" he cackled and pointed to the fridge beside him. Nami smacked her hand to her forehead. "It's in the fridge, of course. Where else would it be?"

"Luffy," Nami groaned. She frowned at Kid as he went to grab two bottles for himself and Zoro. "I told you not to say anything."

"Oh… Sorry, Nami," he said, tittering with laughter. "I forgot."

Kid and Zoro gloated openly as they popped the caps off their bottles of ale, and she sent them both a withering glare.

"I take back every time I hoped you guys would get along," she huffed.

"That's what ya get for somehow conning _my_ best friend into taking your side all the time," Kid snorted.

She cocked her brow. "He only sides with me because he's the reasonable one who knows I'm right most of the time."

Kid glanced to Killer. His friend shrugged as he continued to eat. It was her turn to gloat. Kid sneered at her, but dropped the subject in favor of eating.

"So, how much more do we have left to do?" Zoro asked, his mood quickly improving once he had his drink.

Nami hummed in thought. "Well, the dining room is done except for some decoration, but I can do that myself another day. I think the kitchen is unpacked." She glanced at Sanji to see him nod. "The living room is _almost_ done." She shot Kid another glare, but he was too focused on his food to notice or care, so she sighed in defeat and turned to Robin. "How's the upstairs looking?"

"Your office is set up. I believe your bookcases are organized how you prefer, but you might want to double check later," Robin explained. "And I believe your bedroom is almost done. I unpacked some of your clothes, but there's still two boxes left. The bed just needs to be made, and I left the new picture frames we bought for you on your bureau. You just need to decide which photos you want in them."

"I'll do that tonight," Nami said with a nod. "I guess we're done. Kid can finish up the living room."

"Oi, don't volunteer me to do the heavy lifting alone," her boyfriend grunted, finally looking up from his nearly finished wings to glare.

"I think you're more than strong enough to move the living chair and set up my new TV, that _you_ helped me pick out, all by yourself," she said sweetly. She would have added that he was staying the night, and if they didn't need their friends' help anymore, it meant they could start enjoying her new home the way he wanted to a lot sooner, but he shouldn't need that reminder. When he held his glare, she leaned over the dining room table and bit her lower lip, the move dragging his gaze down.

"Cheater," he huffed quietly, and then sighed loudly as he went back to his lunch. "Fine. I'll do the last of it."

She sat straight with a victorious grin. She never tired of getting her way.

* * *

Lunch naturally turned into a party. That was the reason she wanted to have as much done as possible before they ate. The kitchen and dining room was filled with laughter and half-hearted arguments for hours thanks to all of her friends. It was the best way to welcome herself into her new home.

By the time she was shoving her friends out the door, the sun was sinking low on the horizon. Kid leaned on her head from behind as she waved at their friends from the door. He and Zoro had polished off the beer and a good amount of liquor, as she knew they would, and now he was in a state of laziness that meant it would be a struggle to get him to do anything else.

"Now that it's just the two of us," Nami chirped brightly, "we can get back to work."

Kid groaned loudly, his arms slipping down to wrap around her shoulders as she shut the door. "We can leave it for tomorrow. I don't wanna do anything else."

She spun in his hold to point up at him in warning. "This is why I wanted you to finish everything before we ate. I agree we can save a few things for tomorrow, but I want that TV set up tonight." He groaned again and embraced her, burying his face against her neck. He was acting like a child, and all she could do was roll her eyes. "It shouldn't take you more than a few minutes, and you don't have to mount it tonight. Just hook up the cable and make sure I can watch the news tomorrow morning while you sleep in." She eased away and nudged his head up to smile at him. "I'm going to make the bed, and then we can spend the rest of the night doing what _you_ want to do."

He grumbled, but grudgingly leaned down for a short peck. "Make it the rest of the weekend." He chuckled. "And don't expect to be leaving bed that whole time if we're doing what I want to do."

She rolled her eyes, but her smirk said she wasn't annoyed, and shoved him away. "I expected nothing less. Now get to work."

He made sure to steal one more kiss, and a quick feel of her ass, before heading to the living room to do his last task for the day. She tossed a throw pillow from the couch at his head on her way upstairs, laughing at his playful growl and then dodging when he threw it back.

As she was spreading out her pink sheets and cream comforter a few minutes later, she heard Kid drilling in the living room and smiled to herself. She knew once he started programming the new TV, he'd end up working on the mount. By the time her bed was made and she had her new picture frames tossed on it, along with her small safe, he was done. She heard him trudge upstairs and make a quick stop at the bathroom to wash his hands. Once he was done, he came into her room and tossed himself onto her bed beside her, the force making her bounce on the mattress.

"Got the mount up," he said.

"I heard you working on that," she said, laughing. She set down the frame she was opening to lean over and give him a kiss. "Thanks."

He grinned and stole one more kiss before she could pull away. "Still gotta put the TV on it, but it'll be easier with an extra pair of hands to keep it steady."

"We can do that in the morning," she agreed while sliding her safe toward her.

Kid stretched out beside her and leaned over to watch her punch in the code and pop open the safe. "No cash?" he asked.

She knew he was confused. He had never seen what she kept in there, but now he would.

"I'm not going to leave cash lying around, though I might keep some in here now that I live in a safer neighborhood," she explained while pulling out the small manila envelopes. "I mainly use this safe to keep things I don't want to lose in a fire."

He grunted and edged closer, watching as she opened one of the envelopes and slid out a small stack of photos. That envelope held pictures of her family in Cocoyashi and her mother. Nojiko had sent her off with as many as she could, and regularly sent her new pictures of the town and their friends. They were her most valuable treasures.

Kid reached out to take one of her mother as she shuffled through them. "Yer mom, right?" She nodded in answer, and he snorted. His head nudged her arm. "She looked like she was a tough broad."

"She was," Nami said. She couldn't help but feel wistful as she took the picture back and stared at it, fingers tenderly tracing around Bellemere's face and magenta hair. Kid leaned his head against her arm, quiet support that reminded her he was there. "I heard she was a huge troublemaker when she was a kid. Constantly getting in fights and stealing." Kid snorted in amusement. "But, she still became a police officer. She retired early after taking Nojiko and I in. She never did stop being a bit rebellious. Every time I was caught shoplifting, she'd tell Genzo that she'd repay him with her body."

"I see ya took that lesson to heart," Kid said with a chuckle.

"Mhm." She sent him a sly wink. "But don't worry, you're the only guy I've actually followed through on that offer with."

"Good," he grunted, turning to kiss her arm. "That Genzo guy… he in any of these?"

"Yep," she said, setting aside the picture of her mom to search the other photos. When she found one with her and Nojiko, she held it over to him. "He was the mayor for a while, and sheriff. He was the closest thing to a father I had."

Kid hummed as he stared at the picture. "What's up with the pinwheel?"

Nami laughed. "When I was a baby, I always cried when he was around. To get me to smile, he stuck a pinwheel in his hat. It worked, and he didn't take it out until I moved away. The pinwheel in my tattoo is for him. The tangerine is for my mom."

He turned to glance at her tattoo with another hum, and then looked back at the picture. "The other chick… She's yer sister, right?"

"Nojiko." She nodded.

"So yer both into tattoos," he said, chuckling.

"I guess we are now, but she got those when she was twelve after I joined Arlong's gang. I was ashamed of the mark Arlong tattooed on me, thought it would mark me as a bad person. The next time I saw her, she had all of those tattoos and told me they were just decoration." She laughed. "It was her way of making me feel better and show her support for me. And, it inspired the design of my tattoo when I was able to remove Arlong's mark."

She set the picture aside and grabbed another of Nojiko that was newer, her sister's blue hair almost as long as her own now. Kid shifted to peek at the other photos she went through until a folded piece of paper slipped from the stack.

"What's that?" he asked, reaching out to pick up the paper and carefully unfold it. It was an old piece of parchment, weathered and worn over the years. She was glad to see him open it so gently. "A map?"

"I drew that when I was ten. It's of the island I grew up on."

"Franky mentioned somethin' about this," Kid mused. "You drew this at ten? That's a lot of detail."

She smiled proudly. It _was_ a lot of detail. She had the topography of the island drawn out, as well as the geography and formations in the ocean around it and the currents that they created. She could draw something even better than that now, but she would never be prouder of a map than she was of that one. It was her first real map.

"Is that a bloodstain?" he asked, tilting his head as he inspected the map closer.

Her pride was lost to a frown. "It's seen a lot," she answered. "That one was from the day Luffy fought Arlong. I had stabbed myself in the back of the hand to make Arlong think I stabbed Usopp."

"Brutal," Kid said, handing the map back to her. "You really went far to protect those guys, huh?"

"Mhm," she hummed while slipping the map and other pictures back into the envelope. She went for another one that contained pictures of her friends. "And I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had to."

She was glad the next set of pictures were of happier times.

"Who's that?" Kid asked, stopping her as she searched the photos.

She giggled and pulled out the one he was asking about to hand over to him. "_That's_ Princess Nefertari Vivi of Alabasta."

"You know a fucking princess?"

"I do," she said, laughing. "Actually, Shirahoshi is considered a princess among the fishmen population. Her family is descended from royalty. So I know two."

He snorted and handed the picture back. "My girl's rubbed elbows with royalty. That's fucking awesome."

She giggled and searched for a picture she knew he would love. The second she found it, she held it out and watched his eyes widen. She and Vivi had dressed in traditional belly-dancing garb for a party at her palace.

"Holy shit," he said, snatching the photo to look at it closer. "You still got that outfit, Kitten?"

"I should have it at the guys' house in storage. Vivi let me keep it as a gift."

"You should wear it again. Bet you'd fill out that top even better now."

"We'll see," she sang, returning to her search.

She slipped a picture of her and Robin out from the stack. They were standing in front of ancient ruins Robin was studying, and in the background she could just make out Luffy climbing up a set of massive stone steps with Zoro and Usopp at the bottom, watching their friend get into trouble. Kid's attention returned to her other pictures when she got to their visit to Water 7, where they met Franky, and he stopped her at a picture of her at a party.

"Who's the blond yelling at you?"

She snorted. "That's Paulie. The poor guy couldn't handle my sense of fashion." She handed over a picture of her friend trying to cover her with a towel while a few other guys they knew were watching nearby. "You should have seen him when I changed in front of everyone."

"You changed in front of a bunch of guys?" He glanced up at her with an annoyed frown.

"We were in a small room and I had nowhere else to change," she said with a shrug. "It was no big deal."

She ignored his low growl and slipped out a picture to distract him with.

"Damn," he said, drawing the word out as he took the photo of her with her back to the camera. Her head was turned back with a sultry smile as she lifted her hair from her shoulders. "I wanna keep this one."

"No," she said shortly before snatching the picture back. "When we go to the beach in a few weeks, we'll take a new one of me that you can have."

He groaned and slumped against her arm. Once she had a few more pictures picked out, she began to tuck the envelopes back in the safe, but Kid stopped her.

"What's in that third one?" He went to grab the last envelope that she hadn't opened, and she smacked his hand away. He looked up at her with narrowed eyes. "What are ya hidin', Kitten?"

"Nothing," she answered in a rush, holding the envelope away from him.

"You're a shitty liar," he growled while reaching to grab the envelope from her. She stretched as much as she could until he pushed her back on the bed with a shriek of laughter. "What is it? Pictures of an old boyfriend?"

"You know I've never had a boyfriend before."

"That's what ya said, but…"

"They're not of an old boyfriend," she huffed while trying to scoot out from under him. She flipped to her stomach in her attempt to escape and groaned when he put his whole weight onto her back to keep her in place while he stretched over her shoulder. She reached around with her other hand to shove at his head. "Get off! You're heavy!"

"I wanna know what you're hiding."

"I'm not hiding anything. I'm saving these to give to you when we go on our trip."

He froze above her, only adding to the weight slowly crushing her. "They're the pictures you bribed me with, aren't they?" he asked, and before she could answer, he began to struggle with her for the envelope again.

"Can't you just wait a few more weeks?"

"No. I want to see 'em now."

She groaned loudly and smacked his hand away. "Fine, just get the hell off of me."

"I don't wanna," he grunted, sinking down on her more.

"Then you don't get to see the pictures."

Sighing in defeat, he pushed off of her and let her sit up. She shot him an annoyed glare as he sat up beside her, but it wavered in the face of his eager grin.

"When did ya even take them?" he asked as she carefully slid the pictures out, angling them so he couldn't immediately see them. She had them in a specific order, but she didn't want him to accidentally get a peek at any… especially the last one.

"I had Robin come over last week while you were at work and we locked ourselves in your workshop to take them. Remember that night you couldn't seem to find your hoodie?"

His eyes widened. "You stole my hoodie."

"I gave it back, and it was part of the agreement," she said with a laugh.

"I couldn't find my boots or wallet chain that night, too," he said, eyes narrowed in suspicion. She didn't respond, merely gave him a cheeky smirk and handed over the stack of pictures.

His grin turned impossibly wide the moment he snatched them from her.

"Nice," he said, appraising the first picture.

She was wearing a green bikini as she sat on his bike, her legs propped on the front end, ankles crossed. She sat back on one arm in the picture, her head tilted back and hand raking through her long hair as she smiled up toward the ceiling. She stood in stark contrast to the hard black metal body of his bike, and the dark greys and browns of the shop around her. She and Robin spent hours editing the pictures to make the space look even rougher and darker. The hard texture surrounding her softer figure was so symbolic of Kid and the fact they were in his space, on his bike, that she knew the effort would be worth it.

He went to the next one, and she forced herself to hold back her smile as he stared at it. She could see he was noticing something that she had hoped he would pick up on, but it took him a minute before he realized what he was looking at.

"That's what ya wore when we met!" he exclaimed when it clicked into place.

She had managed to find her old navy blue skirt and cream colored blouse in storage at the house. That night had stuck in her memory, despite how much she had wanted to forget it at the time, so it was easy for her to remember what she had on. She also had a few pictures from that night, since it was her going away party, to refresh her memory with the details. In the picture he held, she was leaning against the bike, facing the camera as she tilted her head down, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, and nibbled her lip in what she hoped was a demure, seductively shy look, playing up the falsely innocent act she used on him.

"I'm glad you remember." She giggled, nudging his arm as he turned to grin at her.

"I'll never forget that night," he said. He snagged a quick, teasing kiss, and pulled away just enough to let her see that softer smile he graced her with from time to time.

"Good." She leaned in for one more kiss, sharing his smile.

The next picture earned a long whistle of approval.

"That…" He paused, searching for words as he stared, his jaw going slack as his eyes raked over her in the picture. "Guess I know why I couldn't find my wallet chain… _Damn._"

She laughed loudly, but it didn't distract him from staring at the picture. She had found a pair of black leather shorts that hugged her hips and left very little to the imagination. She knew Kid would love them, especially with the addition of his wallet chain dangling over her hip.

On top of the shorts, she borrowed a pair of Robin's black leather, high-heel boots that came up to nearly mid-thigh. The heel was a sharp stiletto, and around the ankle, the boot was decorated with silver buckles and chains, adding to the rocker look she had been going for. She wore her black leather jacket on top, her hands slowing pulling down the zipper to expose tightly held cleavage and a peek of red lace from her bra.

In that picture she posed leaning against the bike, but she kept her legs spread wide and knees bent to highlight the boots. Her hair was wavy and tousled, looking a touch wild as she kept her head angled down and to the side, as if she was looking at something on the floor to the front of the bike. Her lips were parted and painted a dark, burgundy red, while eyes were shadowed a smoky grey and outlined with black eyeliner. She rarely ever wore makeup, especially not such dark, harsh colors, but she knew Kid would appreciate the addition.

It was _his_ lipstick she was wearing, after all.

"I think this one's safe to hang in my shop," Kid said. His voice was thicker than it had been. He still had more pictures left, but if he was getting this excited over the ones where she was clothed, she figured it was safe to assume she was in for a very long and wild night.

"I think so," she agreed and nudged him. "But you're not done. I think you'll love the next one more."

He hastily flipped to the next one and she watched his jaw drop. She was still in the leather shorts and boots, but her jacket was gone, and the red bra she had been wearing was draped over his bike's handlebar. She was laying forward over the bike, her bare breasts pressed to the fuel tank, while her legs swung up behind her in a more playful pose. Her head rested on a folded arm while the other arm stretched out to dangle over the front while she looked at the camera with a smile full of laughter.

"Fuck you're gorgeous," he coughed out. His breathing was growing harsh and she could feel tension radiating off of him. He was holding onto his restraint by a thread.

"You have two more," she whispered, trying not to break the spell he was under.

He turned, brow cocked in his confusion. "That makes six. I thought ya said I could only have five?"

Nami shrugged and leaned back on her arms. "There was an extra that I really loved and couldn't keep from giving to you. We'll call it part of your birthday present." When he only continued to stare at her, she smacked his shoulder with a short laugh. "Hurry up. I want to see your reaction to them."

He forced himself to put down the topless picture, and barked a loud laugh. "Not only my hoodie, but ya stole my fucking boots."

"I had my reasons," she said, snickering. In the picture he held, she sat on the bike with her legs curled up to her chest. Robin took it from the front as she leaned back, so Kid could see not only the boots that were far too large for her as they hung open in a sloppy fashion, but also that the hoodie was mostly unzipped, barely covering her enough to keep her decent.

"Wait… Are you naked under my hoodie?" he asked, bringing the picture closer. "You are. Holy shit, that's perfect."

She bit her lip to keep from laughing as she watched him move on to the last one.

She couldn't have imagined a better reaction.

Kid's mouth fell open, and then shut, and then open again. Over and over, he searched for words. She was certain he had stopped breathing, too.

This time the picture was from the side as she sat straight up on the bike, her feet planted firmly on the floor to either side of it… And she wore nothing but his boots.

With her head thrown back, she had one hand pushing through her hair so he could see the look of ecstasy on her face. Her other arm crossed over her chest, only partially concealing her breasts, and her back was slightly arched to add to the erotic bliss of the shot.

And Kid still wasn't speaking or breathing beside her.

"I take it you like that one," she teased.

He continued to gape like a fish and his gaze was so hard she thought the picture could go up in flames from it.

"I know I said no nudity, but it came out looking so good," she said, keeping her voice breezy. The tension would snap at any minute, and she couldn't wait. "Robin got such a great angle for it. Maybe I should rethink my career options. I could probably make a killing modeling for pin-ups…"

She didn't get a chance to say any more before Kid snapped. With a low growl, he spun and tackled her to the bed, his lips hard against hers. His hands were everywhere, pawing at her chest and hips as he tried to get her shirt and shorts off. He was too eager and excited, making his movement rough, sloppy. He couldn't seem to decide what he wanted to do more: kiss her with wanton abandon, or tear her clothes off? He was having too much trouble doing both.

"Kid." She laughed when he broke away to suck wildly on her neck. She shrieked when he nipped her and somehow managed to get between her legs to grind against her clothed core. "I thought we were going to break in the bathtub first."

"Later," he grunted, finally managing to push her shirt up over her head. His lips wrapped over her collarbone with a deep groan. "Need to…" He paused to leave a hard, open-mouth kiss to the top of her chest. "Kiss you…" He nipped along her chest to the other side. "Every inch…" He sucked on her other collarbone while his hand wrapped around a breast. "Every… perfect… fucking… inch…" He broke up each word with wet kisses trailing back up her neck.

Her mind was hazy and her breathing nothing more than shallow pants when he reached her ear to nip at while he crushed his body to hers.

"Mine," he whispered, the fluttering kiss he left to the skin just behind her ear making her shiver in his arms. "All mine," he said, his breath washing over her neck bringing a deeper shudder as she wrapped her legs around his waist. His lips brushed over her cheek as he began to regain some control. He left teasing kisses until he reached her lips, and sank into a deep kiss with a satisfied groan.

His hand came to dig in her hair as he tilted his head to swallow her moans and quiet mewls with languid sweeps of his tongue, taking her every breath away with a soul-searing kiss. He pressed into her so hard, she felt he was trying to draw her into him, to consume her so fully that she had no choice but to be as much a part of him as he would be a part of her. Nothing else existed but her and him and the pounding of her heart in her chest that felt as if it were beating at her ribs, trying to break through, to reach out to him, to grasp his heart tight and never let go.

They were so wrapped up in each other, they completely forgot all the things strewn over her bed until something fell to the floor when Kid shifted his leg to grind against her harder. Even then, they didn't care enough to stop. Nothing could distract them in that moment. Not a frame crashing to the floor, nor the safe right behind it. Not the crinkling of photos. Not the chime of her cell phone on the nightstand.

Not even the earth-shattering realization that struck her in the space of a breath, short-lived…

_She loved him._

* * *

_**A/N:**__ I have never screamed so much over a fic. I am just... THEIR EMOTIONS ARE SO FUCKING INTENSE SOMETIMES IT HURTS! To make it all worse, I was listening to Florence and the Machine while writing the last few paragraphs._

_I know a few of you were hoping I'd write the party after the fight with the fishmen, and I had originally intended to, but I was really light on material for it and it wasn't going to move the plot forward, so I decided it would be best to move on to this since it obviously moves the plot along (faster than I had actually anticipated, tbh). Now I can write their trip to the beach. :)))) Luckily I already screamed about it when I came up with the idea for it._

_Anyway, sorry for how late this update is. Holidays dragged me down in terms of motivation to do anything and I'm still struggling to catch up. Hopefully it was worth the wait._


	29. Chapter 29

_I hope you guys are ready for a lot of fluff and Kid being... well... **Kid**__... in all his perverted glory._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_Falling Further_

For most of Kid's life, his birthday was never anything special. It was another day of the year, albeit one that was a great excuse to throw a party. When he was younger, there really wasn't anyone around who cared enough about him to celebrate the day he was born, and even if there was, they would have been too poor to do anything. The birthday he had shortly after meeting Killer had probably been his best in all his life up to that point. His best friend had snuck into the back of a bakery that day and made off with a crappy cake that was half frosted in a sugary sweet pink that nearly made them both puke from eating it on mostly empty stomachs. It was the first time someone cared, though, and Kid would never forget it.

After that year, they stuck to stealing liquor and drinking for birthdays until they had the money to actually hang out at a bar. It was easier, and Kid didn't really need any presents, even if he loved getting them. Having a good night with his friends was the best present he could ask for.

But turning twenty-four promised to be different, and maybe rival his first birthday with Killer as the best he could remember. He had a girlfriend to go home with after their night out with their friends. A sweet girlfriend who had been looking at him with the warmest smiles he'd ever seen her give, like he was important and cherished, and every time he saw how happy she was around him, he found himself falling a little more.

He didn't think he could fall any further than he had, but maybe love was a bottomless pit he'd keep falling in for the rest of his life. That didn't sound so bad. It meant there was no painful landing, at least.

Not only did he get to go home with Nami and celebrate with her wrapped around him every way he could imagine, but he had a trip to look forward to with her. He had never been more excited about a trip, especially one without his friends. Nami wanted to do something special for him, for the two of them, and the thought alone was enough to make him melt into a puddle of sappy emotions he had never felt before, emotions he never thought he would ever have. It had been a miracle he held himself back the night she suggested it. He had wanted nothing more than to squeeze her tight, tell her he loved her, and never let her go, even if she tried to run.

Of course he locked that urge down because she would have run and he would have wanted to punch himself in the face for even having those feelings in the first place.

They lived about an hour and a half from the beach, an easy enough drive for a day trip, but they decided to drive down the coast to a beach town that was almost four hours away. The drive would be worth it. Warmer weather and there was more to do than lay on the beach.

Nami was also hoping the distance would throw her friends off their destination.

When Luffy heard them talking about their trip, he hadn't been happy. He wanted to go and pestered Nami the whole night, hoping to convince her to bring him along. When she stubbornly refused and said it was for Kid's birthday present, Luffy switched tactics.

He nearly screwed up his shot at the pool table when Luffy flew over and latched himself onto his leg, pleading for him to let him go. He tried to pry the guy off with his pool cue, but it was like his arms were made of elastic, winding tighter and tighter around him, even as Kid shoved his torso away. He made two more shots with Luffy attached to him before he somehow managed to kick him off.

Five minutes later, after begging Nami failed again, Luffy was back, this time latching to his back the moment Kid walked out of the bathroom. His patience was wearing thin, and the only reason he had any patience at all was because Luffy was Nami's best friend and he would be in serious trouble if he punched her best friend.

And it was so much more amusing watching Nami punch Luffy herself once she managed to detach him from Kid.

They agreed not to tell anyone exactly which town they were going to, except for Killer and Robin. They were good at keeping secrets. They also lied about what time they were leaving so Luffy wouldn't show up hoping to stow away until they were already long gone. Kid wasn't pleased with that part of the plan since it meant he had to be awake before dawn, but if it meant a peaceful weekend without her friends crashing their vacation, then he'd grudgingly do it.

Friday morning, Nami woke when it was still dark while he stubbornly clung to sleep, and her pillow, as she made her way downstairs. He roused with a long groan when the smell of coffee drifted up to the bedroom, soon overpowered by the scent of bacon. His stomach growled, but he still didn't want to be awake, so he buried himself under her comforter and tried to ignore the delicious scents beckoning him to get out of bed.

When the blankets were ripped off his head sometime later, the skies were lightening outside and he couldn't escape the smell of coffee as Nami shoved the cup under his nose. He growled, but slowly pushed himself to sit up. He sat there, his eyes still shut and drowsy, while Nami forced him to take the warm mug without a word before disappearing.

It took him a minute to wake up enough to take a few swigs of coffee. He smelled bacon nearby, and pried open an eye to see a plate with bacon, eggs, and sausage on the nightstand. If he wasn't so grouchy, he'd smile at the breakfast his girlfriend made for him. Killer taught her how to manage him in the morning while she stayed with him, and damn did he love her for being willing to learn at all.

He was halfway through his breakfast when Nami returned, dripping wet and wrapped in a towel. He was wide awake the moment she dropped it, and his sour mood vanished when she settled in his lap.

Oh yeah, his girlfriend _really_ knew how to handle him in the morning.

By quarter after eight, they were out the door and on the road with no sign of her friends nearby to catch them leave. He let Nami drive first. As awake as he was after the morning quickie, he was still lazy, and there was the chance they'd be caught should her friends suspect the lie they gave about leaving at noon. But Nami was good at losing her friends when she needed to. Luckily she didn't have to, but it was better to be prepared.

When they reached the coast near ten, they stopped for a snack and to stretch before getting onto the coastal highway. His mood couldn't be any better as he walked back to his car with a bag of drinks and junk food, not with the sight in front of him.

Nami stood at the overlook they parked at a few yards from the store, her arms stretched high over head as she took in the view. Her frilly white halter top rode up her torso so he could see her trim stomach, and her tiny blue shorts showed off her long legs as she pushed onto her tip toes to stretch them, too. The ocean was off in the distance, but he could make out the frothy white of the waves behind Nami as the breeze caught her hair. She glowed in the sun, her grin only making her brighter as she leaned her head back to let the wind flutter her hair around her face. He couldn't see her eyes behind her large gold rimmed aviators, but he knew they were probably closed as she soaked in the sea air.

He couldn't resist taking a quick picture with his phone. She was too pretty, a treasure he still couldn't believe was his, and he wanted all the evidence he could get to remind himself she was there with him.

"What did you do?" she asked with a warm laugh as she caught him lowering his phone to look at the picture.

He hummed, not answering immediately as he enjoyed the beautiful woman who was going to be the new background on his phone for a while. When he got up next to her, he turned his phone to let her see the picture herself.

"Oh, that's a nice one," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she took his phone from him. The hair loosened again with the wind, and he chuckled as he helped push it back in place for her. She looked up at him then, smiling wide, and pushed onto her toes to beckon him in for a kiss he was all too happy to give. When he pulled away, grinning at her, Nami held his phone up for him to see that she had taken a picture just as their lips brushed together.

That was officially going to be her new caller ID picture.

"Perfect," he said as he took his phone back and slipped it into his pocket.

She wrapped her arms around his torso, chin resting on his chest as she smiled up at him. "It is," she said. "Send me all the pictures you take. I want my own copies."

"'Kay," he grunted before leaning down to steal another peck and nudging her away. He hated making her release him, but they had another three hours of driving ahead and he wanted to get her in bed as soon as possible. He doubted she would let him pull off somewhere secluded to have his way with her in the backseat. "Found those little fruit cakes ya like," he said, holding up the bag for her to peek in.

"Oh! Thank you!" she chirped, snatching the bag from him to see what other treats he bought. "And peach iced tea!" she exclaimed when she found the glass bottle near the bottom. He grinned proudly when she tugged him down to kiss his cheek. "You're the best," she said into the kiss, only further making his ego swell. She was probably spoiling him to keep him in a good mood, but he didn't care.

Maybe he _could_ convince her for another quick stop along the way so he can hear her praise him for something else.

"Let's go," he said, gently pushing her toward his car.

Her brow rose. "What are you thinking with that grin?"

"Nothin'," he answered, grin widening. If he had his way, she'd find out soon enough.

* * *

It took an extra hour to get to their hotel after Kid made that pit stop he desperately wanted to half way there when he found a dirt road off the highway that tucked into a desolate spot behind some trees. Nami figured out what he was after the moment he slid up behind her as she stretched and ran his hands all over her while he sucked a sensitive spot on her neck. She was beyond annoyed with him for that, but it eased quickly enough once he captured her lips with a hungry kiss. It took less encouragement to get her into the backseat than he had expected, and he didn't waste a second of her willing mood.

And somehow she wasn't pissed at him when they finally hit the road again, despite the fact he took her twice in the car. He would probably be wise to give her a break that night, but he knew that wasn't going to happen unless she explicitly told him to back off.

He couldn't really help his eagerness. Every smile and playful laugh made him want to touch her and kiss her, and as soon as he started, it was difficult to stop. There was just something different about her attitude that made him desire her more than ever. She was so warm and welcoming, radiating happiness and something else that left him wondering if maybe she wouldn't run if he said what he felt.

Maybe that weekend he'd find out.

In their hotel room, Kid dropped their bags by the plain bureau while Nami skipped to the window to see the view of the beach. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as he pretended to read the welcome brochure and room service menu. She looked truly at home breathing in the salty air filling the room from the open window, and he almost expected her to take off running for the ocean as soon as she stepped foot on a patch of sand.

"When's the last time you went to the beach?" he asked, dropping the brochure next to the television as he made his way over to her. His arms easily wrapped around her to draw her back against his chest, and he had to admit her tangerine scent mixed deliciously with the smell of the sea. He couldn't wait to lick the salt water from her skin.

Nami hummed, sinking into his embrace. "I went with my friends a few days after I got back from my research trip. While I was away, though, I was on a ship for a good portion of the time. But sailing in the middle of the ocean is a lot different from the beach."

"Guess that's true," he grunted, lowering his lips to her neck to sprinkle pecks over her skin. His lips parted in every kiss to taste her, and when her head tilted to give him more room, he eagerly nipped and licked his way up to her ear. "How often did you make port on that trip?"

She hummed again, her head falling back against his chest as his kisses found her jaw. His hands slid up her body, intent on feeling her soft breasts. "Every two months we'd land for supplies and spend a few days sightseeing as a break from our studies. Sometimes we'd be on land for a few months while traveling between partnered universities to gather other atmospheric data."

"Sounds like a lot of work," he groaned, kissing beneath her jaw, all the way to her chin. His breathing felt harsh and he wasn't really listening to her anymore.

"It was, but I enjoyed it," she said softly, a gasp in her voice when his hands finally wrapped around her breasts. "Kid," she whined, grasping his hands to pull them away, "haven't you had enough of that today?"

"No," he grunted as his teeth grazed the front of her throat.

Her fingers tightened around his before she forced them off her completely. "I'm hungry," she whimpered. "We can do this after we have some dinner."

He groaned and slumped against her. He wanted her now.

Her lips fluttering over his temple brushed away his disappointment. They had the whole weekend to themselves, he could settle with waiting until after they ate. Grasping her by the shoulders, he forced himself to stand straight. "Alright, let's get some grub."

She giggled as she grabbed his hand and spun them toward the door. He snatched the room key off the desk where she left it when they came in, and let her pull him out to the hall. His fingers laced with hers as they headed toward the elevator. Their room was on the fourth floor of the hotel, giving them a perfect view with only a few small shops between them and the beach. Driving by the shops on the way in, they saw most were souvenir or beach shops for the tourists. There were clothing stores that Nami watched intently as they drove past, and Kid knew she'd drag him there at some point during their stay. Lastly there were small food vendors and the occasional restaurant, all specializing in fresh local seafood or quick, deep fried concessions.

"I think I saw an arcade a block away," Kid said as they got to the street.

"An arcade? Are you a teenager?" Nami asked teasingly, even as she turned in the direction he saw the arcade.

"Shut up," he said, his tone not as gruff and annoyed as it could be. He tugged her closer until she leaned against him as they walked and he released her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders. "It's still early. Might as well find somethin' to do after we eat."

"Other than what you really want to do?"

He grinned. "Hey, I was tryin' to be nice and suggest other activities, but if you're cool with goin' back…"

"Arcade it is," she interrupted, sticking her tongue out at him. "You're going to wear me out before we even hit the beach at the rate you're going."

Chuckling, he squeezed her shoulder and leaned down to kiss her hair. "I wouldn't do that."

"Yes, you would. And you'd gloat all day whenever I complained about being too sore to move."

He hid his smile in her hair. She wasn't wrong. "But I'm looking forward to seeing you in your tiny bikini, frolicking in the waves…"

"Did you just use the word frolicking?" she asked, laughing.

"Fuck you. I can use that word if I want to," he growled half-heartedly. "As I was sayin', I want to see ya play in the ocean… and maybe you'll lose your top in the – Ow!"

He pulled away to rub his side where she pinched him hard. Sneering at her, he met her glare and pursed frown. Her anger broke away with a smile, and he felt his own irritation vanish as he tugged her into his side again.

"Still hope you lose your top," he joked, angling away from her when she tried to smack his side. "What?" He laughed as he trapped her in a headlock and ruffled her hair. "I can't help it. I like yer tits."

"You are so gross sometimes," she groaned, flailing in his hold as she batted his hand from her hair.

"You still like me, though."

"Somehow," she said. There was an eye roll in her voice that made him squeeze her head tighter. "Ah! Stop it, Kid!"

"Make me," he laughed, coming to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk to make a mess of her hair. He was forced to release her when her fist landed in his gut. "Fuck," he coughed out. He bent over his knees to gasp for air and angled his head to glare at her through a few wisps of his hair that came loose from his headband. She wore a smug look as she ran her fingers through the tangles he left in her hair. "Bitch," he grunted.

"Oh, don't even try, Kid," she snapped. "You told me to make you stop."

"You're supposed to kiss me or somethin'," he groaned. "That's what happens in all those crappy romantic movies you make me watch."

"Kind of hard for me to do that when you have me in a headlock," she huffed. "And anyway, that only works when they're talking. It's to make people shut up."

As the ache began to wane, he stood straight with a long groan, nursing his abused abdomen. "Still wasn't very nice," he grumbled.

Nami rolled her eyes at him and turned to continue down the street, waving back at him. "I'll think about kissing it better later," she called over her shoulder. He liked the sound of that. Glancing up at him as he jogged to catch up to her, she gave him a saucy little wink. It was hard to stay mad at her when she looked at him like that.

"I'm gonna hold ya to that, Kitten," he laughed while tossing his arm around her shoulders again.

The arcade Kid had spotted when they drove in took up half of the block it was built in, stretching from one street to another with kiddie rides and coin vending machines lining the walkway that wound through the outdoor section of the complex. Smaller indoor areas housed all sorts of arcade games, old and new. As they made their way through, they passed confection shops and prize booths, until they reached the side closest to the beach where white a building sat with a large concessions stand and picnic area.

Kid could smell burgers and hot dogs on the grill, and the sweet scent of funnel cake. Nami was right to drag him out for food. His stomach was growling just smelling it.

"What do ya want to eat?" he asked, eyeing the menu board posted over the order window. "I'll put the order in while you grab us a table."

"Burger basket and a lemonade," Nami said.

"Got it." He pulled away to stand in the short line of patrons while Nami skipped off toward a table at the edge of the picnic area that brushed up against the sandy line of the beach's dunes.

A few minutes later, drinks in hand, he headed over to wait for their food with her. Nami took her drink from his outstretched hand while he took a seat on top of the table next to her, keeping part of his attention on the stand. With his legs beside her, Nami leaned against them as she sipped her drink and stared off at the ocean, content and at peace. He was curious what might be on her mind, but he let the comfortable silence linger over them while he idly ran his fingers through the hair tickling his leg exposed by his cargo shorts.

They were always fighting when she first came back to town. Sure, every now and then they'd get along, find peace whenever they were on the same side, but it was usually lost quickly to the next argument over things that didn't matter. He knew part of it had to do with their short tempers, but he wasn't so naïve to ignore the source of their tension then, especially with its absence in moments like this. At first it was lingering resentment that fueled their ire with each other, but that only masked the attraction he knew they both felt. Then he had pushed and pushed until she gave him a chance, and she fought against it tooth and nail until she couldn't deny it any longer. Even after she opened herself up to seeing what was there, she still tried to keep him at arm's length, keep herself from thinking they had a chance at something good together, something that could last. Now, though, she was all in, and the tension was little more than a memory.

They still fought, but they always made up, and he _really_ liked how they made up now.

When their order was called, he grudgingly got up, ending the peaceful moment between them. He came back a minute later, arms laden with food.

"How much did you order?" Nami asked through a laugh as she stood to help him set everything down.

"Not that much," he grunted. Nami had her single basket, while he had a burger basket, two hot dogs, a corn-dog, an extra basket of fries, and a funnel cake drizzled with chocolate syrup and powdered sugar that he was still debating on whether or not he'd share with her. It smelled so good, he might be able to eat it by himself.

"I probably shouldn't be surprised. It's not nearly as much as what Luffy would order."

He hummed as he stared down at his food, trying to decide where to start. "If this tastes as good as it smells, I might be ordering seconds," he said before reaching for the corn-dog to start. "Might have to get a second funnel cake, though. I was gonna share it with you, but I want to eat it all."

Nami snickered beside him. "Well, you're _almost_ as bad as Luffy. You get points for at least thinking about sharing some of your food with me. He wouldn't do that."

He snorted into his second bite of corn-dog. "Every time you compare me to Straw Hat," he said as he ate, "I can never tell if it's supposed to be a compliment or an insult."

She smirked at him. "He _is_ my best friend, so I think it's safe to say it's a compliment… _most_ of the time."

He swallowed down his food as he smiled at that. Even when it wasn't a compliment, he was still glad to be compared to someone in her life she cared about. She wasn't comparing him to Arlong, a man she hated more than anyone. She was looking at him with the same perspective she looked at all her friends, and that meant even his worst faults couldn't scare her anymore.

Without warning, he grabbed her around the waist to pull her closer. Her startled shriek was muffled by the burger she was eating, a burger that was quickly forgotten as he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"What was that for?" she asked, mirth shining in her eyes.

His answer came in a lingering kiss to her lips.

Nami hummed into the kiss, stole one more peck before he pulled away, and smiled happily at him as he went back to his dinner. After a minute, she giggled to herself and continued to eat as a comfortable silence engulfed them again. He kept his arm around her waist, even though it was a pain eating with one hand. Luckily getting through life with only one real arm gave him enough practice to manage. Whatever kept them close.

When Nami was done eating, she got up to grab them new drinks while Kid continued to devour his meal. She came back with an extra funnel cake for herself, in case he didn't want to share his.

"So, I'm curious…" he began as he started on his dessert. Nami blinked at him while sucking a smear of chocolate sauce off her thumb. That almost distracted him. It was cute and sexy at the same time. But he pressed on, forcing his gaze to his food. "Your research trip… You said it was a lot of work, but you enjoyed it?"

"Yeah." Her head cocked to the side, surely curious why he was bringing up their earlier conversation. "I was able to study all sorts of weather phenomena and travel around the world. It was like a dream come true having that freedom and experience. Not many people get that."

Kid hummed his understanding. "Then if you could, you'd do it again?"

"If I had the opportunity, I might. Why?"

"Just wondering," he grunted.

Her hand slid over his leg beneath the table and she leaned over to catch his gaze. Her eyes held a touch of concern, mixed with amusement.

"Are you worried that I'll leave you for a few years?" she asked.

"No," he answered before his eyes narrowed on her. "Would it be for two years again, though?"

Nami shrugged. "I don't know. It depends on the research being done and the cost of the program. If I'm invited to another one, it probably won't be until I've finished up my studies at the university and have entered into a more rigorous graduate program."

"When will that be?"

"I have about a year and a half left, maybe less if I can overload on credits one semester." She paused to take a bite from her dessert. "But it doesn't really matter. If I'm invited to another one, and decide to go, there are plenty of breaks that will allow me to come back and visit if I want to, and when we're studying on land, it's easy for people to come visit us. It happened all the time on the last trip. I would have come back to visit my friends more often, but I was caught up in my studies, so they came to visit me a few times for a weekend here and there. We still have plenty of time before anything like that will come up again, and when it does, we'll work something out."

She gave him her brightest smile and he knew he didn't have to worry about her leaving him any time soon. She was right. If she had to leave him for a while to focus on her research, they'd find a way to make it work.

"Speaking of school…" Nami continued with a knowing lilt that made his back straighten with tension. "I've been talking to Franky…"

"No," he interrupted, sending her a hard glare. "I know what he's been saying. I ain't goin' back."

"He said he would write you a letter of recommendation and help you get back in with a scholarship if you want to study robotics, though," she said, pouting at him. "Every time you go over and hang out with him, you always come home in a great mood."

"That's 'cause Franky's a good guy and easy to work with. It's just hobby stuff now. I don't need to get a degree or anything to build stuff." Nami huffed, her pout deepening. He stopped her from saying anything more by pinching her lips together and sending her a look of warning. "I'm serious, Nami, don't go pushin' this. I'm fine where I'm at now." Her eyes told him she didn't believe him, and he turned away with a roll of his own eyes. "Workin' security's easy and puts my temper to good use, but if I ever want a change…" He paused to shrug. "I dunno. I've thought about it a bit, but I know I don't want to go back to a big college or anything, not with all the uptight pricks running things."

"Kid…" she sighed, but he waved off her sympathy.

"If I do something else, I've been thinkin' of working with cars," he admitted. "Putting together that bike's been fun, and Franky said programs for that are more hands on and laid back. Plus, if it worked out, I can be my own boss, and that's the best thing for me."

When Nami didn't say anything, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye to see her staring at him in open shock.

"What?" he grunted, popping a wedge of funnel cake into his mouth as he glared.

"You've actually been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?" she asked, her tone breathless with her continued surprise.

"Not that much," he said, shrugging as he forced his eyes back to his food. Her surprise was turning into awe and excitement, and for some reason he couldn't look at the smile blooming on her lips. She looked proud and he wasn't sure what to think of that. "I bat the idea around when I'm working on my bike, is all. Ain't like it's serious. Just a dream."

When he dared to look at her again, she was wearing the biggest grin.

"I think it's a great idea," she said, grabbing his hand to give it a squeeze. "I bet you'd be a great mechanic… or maybe custom car builder… Whatever you decide, I'll be right there to help you out."

It was his turn to be stunned into silence. He felt the piece of fluffy cake between his fingers slip back to his plate as he stared at her, his jaw slack. He knew she wouldn't mock him for the things he enjoyed doing or studying, she had never once made fun of him for it. Even when their friendship was strained and clumsy, she showed nothing but curiosity and support. The only thing she disapproved of was the time he punched a professor, but she even grudgingly understood how that came to happen.

But hearing her express her belief in him, in an idea he hadn't given more than passing thought to, had him speechless. For so long, he hadn't had many people who believed in him. He had Killer and the guys, but knowing he had Nami there to push him along, too, made him wonder if he could really do it. Working security had been the default for him. It was interesting enough, and he got to beat people up for a living, but most of the time it was just a paycheck and he still had to answer to a boss.

Getting into a mechanic program shouldn't be hard, especially if Franky knew some of the guys who ran the school. Starting his own business would be rough, just thinking about non-existent finances gave him a headache he didn't want. But he'd have all the control and be doing something he truly loved to do.

He never felt angry when he was building. It was just him and the machine and nothing could piss him off. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.

Nami giggling drew him out of his stupor and his eyes focused on her as she swiped a finger over his cheek. She pulled away with a smear of chocolate on her fingertip that she immediately stuck in her mouth, and his attention was glued to the way her lips puckered as she sucked the chocolate off. His mouth snapped shut at the amusement in her eyes.

"You still with it, Kid?" she asked teasingly after pulling her finger out with a pop that made his mind go deep into the gutter.

He snatched her by the wrist and drew her in to seal his lips to hers.

She was his. Truly his. She would stand by his side no matter where life took them, even if they were on opposite sides of the globe, even if he took a risk and sought a different life. She would be there. Always. He'd do anything to keep it that way.

"I take it you want to go back to the hotel once we're done eating?" she whispered when he pulled back.

He was staring at her lips, the way they moved with every word, innocently beckoning him for another kiss. But they had the whole weekend ahead of them… Hell, they might even have the rest of their lives if he had his way.

"Nah," he said, leaning in for one more quick peck. He pulled back with a grin, leaving her to blink at him in surprise, her lips still puckered, eager for another kiss. "We got time for that later. I wanna hang out and play for a while."

Judging by her beaming smile, she was perfectly fine with that plan.

* * *

They ventured around the arcade for hours, playing one game after another. For at least an hour of the afternoon they stuck to racing games after Nami somehow beat him at one. He swore the game was rigged, that the bike he was given was screwed up, and ordered her to switch.

She kicked his ass so hard the second time, he was sorely tempted to put his fist through the screen.

He forced her to play every single racing game there until he finally beat her enough times to tie them. She teased him for his competitiveness, but still humored his need to outdo her. By the last game, they were neck and neck to the finish, and he might have made a move that forced her to spin out and crash so he could win. She looked ready to kill him for that. Instead she gave him the silent treatment until her anger passed.

"Come on, Nami, I'll make it up to you," he said while dragging her through the buildings in search of one game in particular.

"I still can't believe you cheated to beat your own girlfriend at a stupid game," she huffed.

"Tsh, that ain't cheating. You would've done the same thing in my position," he argued back.

"I wouldn't have made it look so obvious," she muttered behind him. He shot her a knowing grin over his shoulder, and she huffed again. "Fine. But you're definitely making it up to me."

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it, Princess. Here we go." He found the room housing the game he wanted and pulled her after him.

"Skeeball?" she asked, her brow raised as she stared at the old ramps lined up against one wall.

"Yep. I'm a genius at this one," he gloated. Gesturing to the counter on the opposite side and the bored teenager working behind it, he shot her a smug grin. "Pick whatever ya want, and I'll win it for you."

That was enough to make her forget her annoyance as she laughed. "You want to win a prize for me? You have been paying attention to those romantic movies."

"Oi, don't fuckin' ruin this," he said, glowering. "I'm tryin' to show off. My pride's at stake here."

She laughed even louder before grabbing his arm to tug him down. "That's cute, Kid," she said as she pressed her lips to his cheek. "And since your pride is on the line, I'll have to make this a challenge."

"Go ahead," he grinned as he followed her to the counter. "Make it as hard as ya want."

Nami leaned over the counter beside him, finger pressed to her pursed lips as she considered all the options. When she settled on one, she pointed to the top shelf of the wall filled with stuffed animals. "I want the red dog," she decided.

"The red dog? Figured you'd go for one of the cats or something cute," he frowned. The dog wasn't ugly, but its cartoonish face was stuck in a snarl and around its neck it wore a fake spiked collar. The fur didn't look all that soft, either, not like the plush cats two shelves beneath it he would have pegged her for.

"I want the dog," she repeated firmly, turning to him with her arms crossed over her chest. "Unless you don't think you can get it?"

He glared at the attempted hit to his ego. "Easy," he said and waved down the attendant to get tokens for the game. "I'll win that in under ten games."

"Ten? You're that sure of yourself?"

"Damn right I am. I told ya, I'm a fuckin' genius at this." She looked skeptical, but he would prove her wrong. Grabbing her by the arm, he dragged her over to a lane on the far end. "I'm gonna make you eat your doubt."

She snorted at him. "Want to make a wager, then?"

Oh, he liked the sound of that challenge. Turning to her slowly, he grinned. "Wager, huh? Last time we wagered on something, you lost a couple hundred. You really wanna make another bet with me?"

"Not for cash," she said pointedly. That didn't deter him. There were plenty of things he'd love to win from her in a bet, and cash was the least of them, anyway.

"What did ya have in mind?"

"If you get that prize in under ten games, I have to do something for you, and if it takes more than ten games, you have to do something for me."

"Something? What would this something involve?" His grin couldn't get any wider. He knew exactly what _his_ something would be, but he wanted to hear what she had in mind for her own.

Nami hummed. "That's for me to know, and you to find out when you lose."

He barked out a loud laugh. She probably didn't even know, but she'd figure out a humiliating punishment or favor for him in the end… Or at least she thinks she will, but he was going to win.

"Alright," he said, wrapping his arm around her to pull her flush to his body. He dipped down to nip at her ear, chuckling darkly as his hand slid down to cup her ass. "Then I'll tell ya what I want when I win," he said, voice a low hush. Her hands dug into his tank top and her breath came out shuddered when he ran his tongue over her ear. "One night where I get everything I want, have ya any way I want, as many times as I want." Her breath hitched when his middle finger passed down the center of her ass. Her gasp was immediately followed by a squeak when he gripped her harder, his finger pressing tight to a tender spot as a hint to his meaning. "_Any. Way_," he repeated.

"Okay," she said in a breathy whisper. He heard the faintest of moans escape when his finger played over the spot through her shorts and her grip on him tightened. That reaction made him want to bend her over and claim his prize right then and there, but he forced himself to pull his hand away. "One night of whatever you want," she agreed.

"Fuck yeah," he grunted, shifting to steal a hard kiss before releasing her. "I'm gonna leave ya achin' like you've never felt before."

"You have to win the bet first," she reminded, her cheeks tinged pink. "And if you do, you're not claiming that until we get back. I want to go _enjoy_ the beach tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah," he waved off her stipulation, "I'll save it for next weekend." He grinned to himself as he went to put a coin in his skeeball ramp. "But seriously, I'm gettin' hard just thinking about it."

"You are such a pervert," Nami said with an exasperated roll of her eyes. The barely there smirk she wore, though, said she was far from dreading his victory. How could she? She enjoyed it whenever he stretched her limits in the past. She'd enjoy it again.

Maybe that night she'd even let him give her a preview of everything he had in mind for her.

* * *

"Oh my god, no way," Nami gasped where she sat on the floor, counting out the tickets as they came out. He was permanently grinning as the ball glided up the lane and into the little tube at the upper left corner for another hundred points. He had nearly maxed all nine games so far. There was no way he wasn't winning the bet. "I've only ever seen Usopp do this well."

It was a game of angles and speed, a lot like pool. Her friend was great at pool and better at darts, and once again he liked the vague comparison to her friend, even if the guy was a total chickenshit.

"Told ya," he chuckled, tossing the last ball into the fifty slot. "I kick ass at this game. Now let's go get your damn stuffed dog so I can get on to thinking about all the dirty things I'm gonna do to you next weekend." Not like he wasn't already thinking about it, but he really needed to get her in bed to work out some of the frustration building in him from the thought alone.

"Wait," she said, holding up a hand as she carefully folded out the last few tickets churning from the machine. She had neatly stacked them in fives as she counted them out, and was going through one last time to check the total. "You're ten tickets short."

"What?" he growled. "That's wrong."

"Are you saying my count is wrong!?" she demanded, shooting him a fiery glare. "You're short!"

"No fucking way am I short! Count again!"

"I counted three times already! I know how to count!"

"Then yer fuckin' lying to win the bet!"

"I don't care about losing that bet!" He wanted to gloat knowing she was fine with him winning, but his ego was too fragile thinking he hadn't won at all. "You need ten tickets for the dog. You can get that with one or two more shots, easily."

He frowned. That put him at ten games to win. He said he'd have it under ten… but she had said over ten.

"Then I still win," he grunted, turning to shove a token into the machine harder than necessary.

"What!? No way! You said under ten!"

"And you said over! Neither of us said a thing about exactly ten… And it's barely even that. It's a fraction of a tenth game. I still win!"

"It's a draw! You don't win on a draw!"

"I want my night of disgusting sex that leaves ya unable to walk or sit right for a week, damn it!"

"Kid!" she shrieked, smacking him on the back of the leg hard enough to make it buckle. His shot came up embarrassingly short because of it.

"Then since it's a draw, how 'bout we both win," he growled down at her.

She glared at him thoughtfully. Her cheeks were puffed and red from his outburst, and she looked ready to punch him still.

"Fine," she huffed. "But just for that, my winning favor is going to be the most embarrassing punishment I can think up for you."

He snorted and went back to his game. "What? Like make me get down on my knees and kiss yer fuckin' toes in front of everyone?"

"That's not a bad start," she said flatly, and he knew she was giving it serious consideration.

"You can make your sex slave for a day," he suggested as his next shot got the last tickets he needed.

"That's not a punishment for you."

"No, but I'd make sure you still enjoyed it."

He caught her roll her eyes while he laughed.

"I'm thinking something involving a tutu," she said, mischief in her voice.

"Go for it. I ain't afraid of wearing a stupid tutu."

"A _pink_ one," she added. "At the bar. In front of everyone. And you have to do a little dance."

He cackled. "After a couple of shots, I'll dance in front of anyone. And pink ain't a bad color."

"Then let's make it a fancy ballerina get up," she snickered.

He choked at the image that came to him. Okay, that might be a little much. "Pretty sure no one wants to see me in that."

"Awww, are you scared of looking silly?" she teased. "I think you'd look great in it."

He tossed another ball up the lane with a quiet snort. "'Course ya do. You'd get to appreciate my fine ass and package all wrapped up in a fucking leotard." He made one last shot, and turned to her with a grin. "You just want to get me in a skimpy outfit to drool over me. Ooo, there's an idea. I can do a sexy little lap dance for ya."

She nearly fell over laughing.

"Gyrate my hips for you," he continued as she finally fell back, her laughter ringing through the room as he gave a teasing thrust. "Grind my ass into you." He spun and raised his arm as he gave his ass a shake for her. "You can smack it if you want."

Nami turned to bury her crimson red face in her arms, shaking with gasps of laughter. He had no idea how their conversation turned in the direction it did, but he loved hearing Nami laugh.

"You are such a dork," she said through her endless giggles that mixed with pants for air.

"Yeah, but I'm your dork," he chuckled while turning to snatch up their tickets. "Now, come on." He bent down to wrap his free arm around her waist and haul her off the floor, tossing her over his shoulder with a loud shriek. "Let's get ya that dog and then I'll give you a strip tease back at the hotel."

He didn't set her down until they were back outside and she had her big red dog cuddled against her chest. They had enough tickets left over that she also got a cat charm before giving the rest to some kid playing another game outside.

She looked blissfully happy with her prize as she buried her nose in its thick fur.

"Seriously? Why the dog? It ain't even close to cute?" he asked as they walked back to the hotel, his arm comfortably wrapped around her shoulders.

"It is too cute," she huffed, squeezing the animal tighter for a second before extending it out in front of her. "And he reminds me of you."

His brow shot up in surprise.

"Big, red, and angry," she giggled, "but surprisingly soft."

"Tsh, I ain't soft," he grumbled, but still pulled her closer.

"Maybe not to everyone, but you are with me," she pointed out, hugging the dog to her chest again.

"That's some seriously sappy shit, Kitten," he said, chuckling quietly.

"But it's true," she sang, and he knew he couldn't argue it. He didn't mind being softer for her. She deserved nothing less. "I think I'll name him Boss."

He laughed loudly and squeezed her tight. "Whatever ya want, Kitten."

As she wound an arm around his waist and leaned her head against his side in a wordless response, he definitely felt himself fall a little further in that bottomless pit. But at least he wasn't alone.

* * *

_**A/N: **By the way, I like to headcanon that Kid and Luffy would get along famously if there was no rivalry between them. But maybe that's just me._

_Also was I too subtle about what Kid wanted to do if he won the bet? Or I should say_ **_how_**_ he wanted to do it?__ I hope not._

_And Kid is a huge dork sometimes. A huge, shameless dork. I am embarrassed on his behalf after writing that part about him doing a lap dance._


	30. Chapter 30

_I don't think I need to warn you that there's smut in this chapter, but I will. This chapter and the next have smut, actually._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_One Step Back_

Saturday morning, they slept in. Nami willingly lounged in bed with him for an extra hour while he was slow to wake. They weren't in too much of a hurry to get to the beach, not when they had all afternoon to enjoy the ocean. It had rained lightly overnight, too, so the extra time they took meant the lingering fog and chill had a chance to burn away. By noon, the sun was out and it was warm enough to go.

A path weaved from their hotel, between the shops toward the beach. It was an easy walk, even though Kid was saddled with the job of carrying a cooler of snacks and drinks, and a large, blue inflatable ring Nami insisted on bringing, while she skipped along with their bag of towels and sunscreen. It wouldn't be so bad, except he had removed his cybernetic arm to avoid damaging it in the salt water and sand. He only had a stump for his left arm, with the circuitry covered by a synthetic skin that snapped snugly over the metal housing his arm attached to. He managed well enough with the tube slipped over his right arm, but it was awkward when they had to walk through a tighter alley by the public showers.

He couldn't complain, though, not when she was so happy, and especially not with the skimpy white beach dress she wore over a bikini she wouldn't let him see yet. He could only see a pink string around her neck, and he thought he caught a flash of black through the dress, but he couldn't be sure.

"This way," she directed once they stepped into the sand. She grasped him by the arm and pulled him to the left, away from the small crowd gathering near the path where food and souvenir vendors were lined up to take advantage of the busier spot.

The crowds thinned further up the beach, and Nami came to a halt where they had more room to spread out. Kid gratefully dropped the cooler into the sand when Nami put down her bag. She had a beach blanket stuffed in her bag, and while she spread it out over their spot, he pulled his black tank top off, eager to play in the waves.

"Can you get the sunscreen out for me?" Nami asked.

He sat down on the blanket and pulled the bag up next to him to dig the bottle of sunscreen out from beneath the towels. He listened to Nami shed her dress behind him, and tilted his head back to get a look at her while holding the sunscreen over his shoulder for her to take.

"Damn, I like it when you wear pink," he remarked, grinning up at her. The bikini she wore must have been new, because he had never seen her wear it. It was pink with black horizontal strips, the top had strings tied at her back and neck to hold the narrow triangles of fabric in place over her breasts, and the bottoms hugged tight to her ass in the back while two strings crossed over each hip to tie it in place. He was already imagining how easy it would be to pull the little bows on one hip and watch those bottoms fall away for him.

"You like it when I wear a bikini," Nami said with a knowing smile.

"I like it when you wear nothing," he admitted as she took the bottle of sunscreen from him and sank onto the blanket at his side.

She snorted a quiet laugh. "Someday you're going to be immune to my body."

"I doubt it." He hummed, watching as she squeezed out the sunblock and began to spread it over her arms. "And it ain't just your body I'm attracted to."

Nami's turned to look up at him, eyes wide with surprise, and then she gave him a bright smile. She didn't have to say anything, that smile alone told him he had said the right thing. It was the truth, after all. As gorgeous as she was on the outside, it didn't even come close to who she was on the inside. As much as he hated to think it, he knew that if she was just a pretty face with nothing else to offer, he would have been bored with her after a few weeks. Hell, he wouldn't have bothered trying to get with her again after the first night, or at least not as eagerly as he had.

And he definitely wouldn't be struggling to hold in one little word every second he was with her.

"Help with my back?" Nami asked, waving the sunscreen at him. "I'll help with yours."

"Sure. Just squirt some out on my hand," he said while extending his palm to her. Once she squeezed out a decent dollop of lotion, she turned her back to him and pulled her hair over her shoulder. He heard her hum when he swept his hand over her shoulders, and then she sank forward, her muscles relaxing with ease as he spread the lotion down her back. Feeling mischievous, he gently pinched her side when he was done, and listened to her squeak in surprise.

Nami pouted over her shoulder at him, beckoning him to lean over her and steal a quick kiss.

"Alright, you're turn," Nami chirped as she turned to face him. She twirled her finger, telling him to turn around, and moved to kneel behind him once he was settled.

He held back a sigh when her hands smoothed over his back. It was almost terrifying how addicted he had become to her touch. When he first met her, a soft touch to his arm was enough to make him move closer and fill his head with thoughts of her touching all over his body. Now, though, he had grown to find it calming more often than not. He still wanted her to touch him everywhere, but it wasn't out of any lustful desires; he just liked feeling that connection and comfort with her.

But it was far easier to make a lewd comment, or steer things toward lust than admit he just wanted to be close to her.

He held back that urge to ruin the moment with a dirty remark, though he had a good one on the tip of his tongue, and just sank forward as she spread the lotion over his neck and back. She even remembered to get his arm without him saying anything.

His silence was reward with a kiss, soft and fluttering against the skin behind his ear. He had relaxed so much under her hands, that he hadn't expected it and couldn't restrain the shiver it induced.

"You're surprisingly calm today," Nami remarked as she handed over the lotion so he could get his chest and legs. He was half tempted to ask her to do the rest, but he doubted he could behave with her hands running over his chest and abs.

He grunted in response, refusing to tell her that he was just happy to have the time alone with her. She probably knew that, anyway.

As he finished his legs, Nami stood and stretched her back. His gaze was glued to her, and anything resembling calm left his body as she bent over to pick up the inner-tube she brought. He was ready to play with his little kitten.

He jumped to his feet, and grinned at her scream as he wrapped his arm around her waist. It was her fault she let her guard down. She should have known he wouldn't remain calm for very long.

"Kid, put me down!" she screamed as he took off for the ocean. His grin only widened, and he chuckled under his breath as she clung to his back. "Don't you dare do whatever you're thinking of doing!"

He laughed loudly in response. It was too late. He was already at the water's edge, running into the chilly waves lapping the sandy beach. Once the water was thigh deep with a larger swell aiming for the shore, Kid stopped and flung Nami off his shoulder. Her scream was cut off the moment she hit the water, and her floaty ring went flying away when the force of her landing made her release it.

She came up frantic and angry, slamming her arms against the ocean as she got her balance in shoulder deep water. She looked like a drowned cat with her long hair stuck to her face, wearing a fiery glare that only made him laugh harder.

"You jerk!" She attempted to splash him with water, but she was too far away.

"Your floaty's getting away," he said through his chuckles, pointing off behind her.

She shrieked when she saw it floating on the waves, and turned to swim after it before it got too far. As far as he could tell, she was a natural in the water, navigating the waves with ease as she dove beneath, and resurfaced to swim in the calmer water between waves. She made swimming look easy and graceful, and he didn't know if he should be envious or proud as he watched her lithe muscles glisten in the sun as she pulled herself through the deep, churning ocean.

As much as he enjoyed going to the beach and playing in the water with his friends, he was not a great swimmer. Far from it, in fact. He managed well enough to keep from drowning, but his body always felt like lead in the water and he found it much easier to sink than swim. And that was before he lost his arm.

As long as he avoided stronger currents, he was usually fine.

He ventured out a little further as she swam back, stopping when the water hit just above his stomach. A minute later, she was in front of him with her toy, and still angry with him. When she was close enough, she sent a large splash of water at him.

"I was hopin' you'd lose your top," he said, grinning smugly as he ducked the spray of water. "Or bottoms. Either way, I'd get a flash of something good."

She splashed him again. "Pervert."

"Aww, come on." He reached to wrap his arm around her waist, drawing her against him. "You're alright, and somehow still got everything where it should be."

She splashed again, this time hitting him right in the face hard enough to send salt water up his nose.

"Damn it," he coughed, releasing her to wipe the water from his face. Another wave pushed them back toward the shore. Nami lost her balance enough to fall into him, and he quickly took advantage as her attention was drawn to righting herself on the silky sand beneath their feet.

"Hey!" she squealed when he snatched her tube away. He held it above his head with a grin as he walked backwards, out of her reach. "Give it back!"

"It's mine now." Kid chuckled, and somehow managed to squeeze his shoulders through the inner tube's opening. Once it was pushed down his broad chest to rest at his waist, he sank down to float in the water, his grin getting even wider.

Nami couldn't seem to stay mad any longer and began to laugh. "You're going to get stuck in that," she said, jumping onto the ring to float with him.

"Nah, I can get out of this easy."

"Okay, then show me," she challenged.

"You're just trying to get it back from me," he pointed out.

"I'll let you use it. Promise. You look cute like this." She giggled.

"Cute, huh?" he cooed, pulling his legs up to wrap around her waist as they floated together.

She hummed knowingly, and leaned forward to beckon him in for a kiss. "Very cute," she admitted quietly and gave him another soft peck before pulling back. "But I am curious if you can get out of this now."

He rolled his eyes, but decided to humor her. If she stole the ring back, he could easily push her out of it, or just latch onto it like she was doing and stay with her.

He raised his arm and tried to submerge himself, but froze when he felt his shoulders stick on the plastic tube. Nami pursed her lips to restrain her laugh, and swam back a foot to watch him make another attempt. When he failed again, she began to laugh openly, and swam close to help push the tube up further.

It was no use. He was stuck. And Nami apparently found it the most hilarious thing she had ever seen.

"Oi! Stop laughing at me!" he hollered in his frustrated escape attempts.

"But… You actually got stuck." She shrieked with laughter as his struggles made him spin in the water. "I knew you would."

"Shut it!" he yelled, only to have her laugh even more as she drew in close to grab the tube again.

"Calm down," she said, barely stifling her continued giggles. "I'm sure it'll be easy to get off back on shore." He growled, but gave up his escape attempts when she pushed her torso to rest on the tube in front of him, and went back to floating with him. "And as I said," she cooed, "you're really cute like this. Plus, you can't toss me around anymore."

His brow cocked up. "Oh? Ya wanna bet?"

"No way. I just want to relax like this." She pouted at him, and even though he knew she was just trying to manipulate him so he wouldn't try to throw her again, he felt himself relent to the adorable look that he was far too weak to.

"Fine," he groaned, and got comfortable in the inner-tube again. Her legs came to wrap around his waist, and he couldn't help but smirk. "I'll get ya screaming again, one way or another, later."

Nami rolled her eyes. "So charming, Kid."

He chuckled as he leaned forward. "What can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic who can't keep his hands off his girl."

He loved hearing her laugh, the cheerful sound only making his grin widen.

"So you finally admit you're a romantic," she said between giggles.

He snorted. "Not even a little bit. Sarcasm, Kitten."

She pretended to pout, but it was ruined by the crinkling around her eyes from the tiny smile threatening to break out.

"Not even for me?" she asked. Her tone was wounded, but he knew she was still faking.

"Depends? Does spanking count as romance?"

Nami laughed again. "No, but roses and a stuffed animal do."

"Yer never gonna let me live those down, are ya?" he said, chuckling.

"Nope," she chirped. "Keep that up, though, and I might let you give me that spanking."

He cackled loudly. "Now that's a trade-off I can get behind."

They were drifting further from the beach as they spoke, and they were far enough out that he couldn't feel the bottom, so Nami released her legs from his waist to slowly kick them back. Once he felt sand beneath his feet again, he helped walk them further up. His brow rose when Nami pushed herself up on the tube further, forcing it to slip down the lower the water became. He didn't pay any mind to that, not when her lips were brushing over his jaw, urging him to kiss her.

Once the water was waist deep, Nami caught him by surprise as she pulled away to shove the tube beneath the water, and then pushed him back. He was off balance with the tube and the loose sand beneath his feet, and quickly found himself falling back in the water. He came up spluttering to find Nami sitting on top of the inner tube with a victorious grin.

"Told you we could get you out," she chirped proudly. "And now I have my floaty back."

He growled playfully and stalked closer. She shrieked while trying to kick away, but a laugh mixed with the sound before he grasped her by the ankle and flipped her back into the water. When she resurfaced, he had a firm hold of the tube, silently daring her to take it back. Her reaction was far from disappointing, and he happily let her tackle him into the water.

Fighting over a stupid toy was a great excuse to grab her, and every time she latched onto his back in an attempt to dunk him, he knew she was just as willing to use that excuse to her advantage.

Going to the beach with her was certainly shaping up to be the best decision of their relationship.

* * *

After an hour of playing in the ocean, they took a break to relax on the beach. Kid collapsed on the blanket with an exhausted groan while Nami pulled out a bottle of water to sip at. She snickered as she knelt beside him, and he looked up to see her smiling at him as she drank.

"Tired?" she asked.

He glared half-heartedly at her until she held out the water for him to take. He pushed up with his arm, and took the bottle once he was sitting straight.

"You're just sore because I beat you," she teased, only pulling another glare from him.

"Only 'cause I let ya," he grumbled. She had managed to take back the inner-tube once he began to tire, but he was more than satisfied with stretching his arm over her and holding to the side as they floated around.

He handed the water back to her, and fell back with another groan to relax in the warm sun. His eyes shut until he heard Nami giggling again, and he pried open one to glare. He forgot his annoyance as he watched her stretch onto her stomach to his right, her legs kicking into the air playfully behind her. She was looking at him with a huge, infectious smile that made his heart flutter in his chest.

"Who knew that all it took to tire you out was to get you in the ocean for a little while?" she teased.

Kid growled and reached over to swat her ass for it.

"I was just teasing," she yelled, nursing the tender spot he smacked with a cute pout.

"Not everyone's as good a swimmer as you, Kitten," he grunted and laid back with his eyes shut again.

"Oh?" Nami cooed with a sly lilt. His brow rose as he listened to her shift until he could feel her pressed to his side. Her finger trailed over his chest enticingly, and he finally bothered to open his eyes and turn his head to see her mischievous smile. "Are you actually admitting I'm better than you at something?"

"Maybe," he said. His abs tensed pleasantly as her fingers walked down his body. What was she up to?

"So I'm stronger than you," she stated, leaning in to brush her nose over his.

"Not even close." He chuckled, snaking his arm under her to wrap around her waist and pull her body tight against his.

"But I'm not the one laying here all tired and weak from swimming in the ocean," she pointed out. His lip curled into a snarl, but it wavered when her hand left his stomach to play through his hair and tickle down his jaw. "You're cute when you're vulnerable."

"Oi," he growled, squeezing her waist in warning. "No one calls me weak and vulnerable and gets away with it. Not even you."

"Oh? What are you going to do about it?" she whispered. Her leg wrapped over his, and her breath wafting over his lips only made him want her closer than she already was.

His hand drifted down her back to cup her ass, and he teased his fingers beneath the fabric of her bikini. "Nothing you'd like," he said lowly. His hand squeezed, and forced her hips to rock into him. "At least not here with an audience." He snatched a quick kiss, and reveled in the moan she let slip out. "How is it you can insult me and still turn me on at the same time?" he asked when he broke the kiss.

"Because you're easy," she answered, snickering against his lips before giving him a sweet peck.

"No I'm not," he argued in vain before stealing another kiss.

She moaned again as his fingers continue to flex and squeeze the cheek he held. "Yes you are," she argued in turn when she pulled back for a short breath.

"Maybe for you," he muttered against her lips before capturing them again. He rolled to his side with a groan and pulled her hips flush to his.

"Hopefully only for me," she huffed as her fingers dug into his hair and she kissed him again.

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Careful there, Kitten," he crooned, "you're sounding a little possessive."

"And what if I am?" she asked with an adorable scowl.

He was shocked to see that she was serious. "You actually think I could look at another woman the way I look at you?" he asked, his surprise slipping into his tone. When her lip stuck out in her sulky pout, he chuckled and pressed his forehead to hers. "Damn, you're the cutest thing ever," he teased and wrapped his leg over her to tangle them together on the blanket. "Be as possessive as ya want, I don't mind," he said, tilting his head to snag another kiss. "But you don't have anything to worry about. You're the only woman I want."

The thought that she could feel possessive over him, just as he always felt for her, spurred him to deepen the next kiss, pushing her to her back and wedging his thigh between her legs. He never imagined she might fear losing him, and especially to someone else, not with how much she denied her attraction and feelings in the beginning.

"Mmmm, not here, Kid," Nami whined when his hand drifted further down, teasing her without a care for where they were.

"You started it," he muttered as he dipped down to trail his tongue over her collarbone. The briny taste of the sea still clung to her, with a hint of coconut from her sunscreen, and he found it suited her well. Though he was sad to notice her tangerine scent was masked from the salt and lotion, the smell only evident in her hair.

"Well, I'm ending it," Nami huffed, shoving at his face before he could lick down her chest.

Her breasts glistened in the sun with the water still lingering on her skin, and he wanted nothing more than to wrap his mouth around them and make her cry out his name for everyone around them to hear. He knew he couldn't, but the thought only aroused him more and he quickly reclaimed her lips as his fingers continued to explore.

But then Nami shrieked and shoved him harder. "Ah! You're getting sand in my bikini," she yelled, pulling away to smack at his hand. "Stop that."

"Damn it," he groaned as he begrudgingly removed his hand. "Fucking tease."

"I didn't mean to tease you," she huffed, scooting away to put some distance between them.

"Fuck that, you totally did," he grunted and rolled to his stomach to hide his erection, despite how painful the position was in that state. He groaned as he reached down to adjust himself. "Let me fuck ya in the ocean. No one will notice if we're in the water."

She smacked the back of his head. "They absolutely will, Kid."

He groaned again and slammed his face into the blanket. He searched for an image that would immediately dampen his arousal – Scratchman's ugly-ass grin, that little brat she babysat nailing him in the balls again, Nami crying. The last one did the trick, at least until he looked at her again and found her smiling sympathetically, and all he wanted to do was kiss her again.

"You're killin' me here, Nami," he groaned, and turned his face into the blanket.

"Sorry," she said, a quiet snicker lacing her voice. "I'll make it up to you later."

"Damn right you will," he grunted while listening to her stand. "Where the hell you goin'?" he asked after peeking up at her. She was adjusting her bikini, and with the angle he was at, he got a flash of something he shouldn't have and had to bury his face again. He couldn't wait to get her back to their room.

"I'm just going to jump in the water to rinse off this sand," she said, skipping toward the water. "I'll be right back."

He forced himself to sit up and watch her run into the water, keeping an eye on her as she dove into the waves. While she swam alone, he grabbed the cooler and fished out the sandwiches they had bought before leaving the hotel. He wasn't that hungry, but it got his head off what he'd much rather be doing.

At least it did until he witnessed a sight that infuriated him and turned him on at the same time.

He was eating the last few bites of his sandwich while Nami began to walk through the water, heading back to him. Water cascaded over her body as she pushed her wavy hair back and wrung out a few damp strands. She caught him watching, and immediately smiled. He loved seeing how happy she was, how her eyes seemed to always look for him now, and how she lit up the second she would spot him. He wanted nothing more than to be a source of happiness for her.

But then some asshole approached her, and her attention wasn't on him anymore. That pissed him off, but he remembered the night he almost lost her because of his jealousy and possessiveness, and clenched his teeth as he forced himself to stay where he was. The guy hadn't done anything yet, he looked like he was just talking. Nami could handle it. It was probably nothing.

He watched as she smiled politely, shook her head, and turned back toward the beach, aiming for him again. He didn't stop glaring at the guy who jumped through the shallow water to grasp her by the wrist, and finally stood when the creep spun Nami back to him. He was going to murder that asshole.

But then he noticed Nami's left hand balled into a fist, and watched with a sickeningly amused grin as she slammed it into the man's face without a second of hesitation. The man staggered back, releasing her as he fell into the water, and she turned back to Kid with her head held high and a haughty little smile on her lips.

He had been right. All he could think about was fucking her senseless after see her deck a creep like that.

"What the fuck did he want?" he growled once she was near. He wanted to fuck her, but he was still sorely tempted to tear that guy apart for touching her.

Nami only smiled at him, and reached out to wrap her arms around his neck. He didn't resist as she pulled him down for a sweet peck. "Something only you can have," she answered when she pulled away. "Thanks for letting me handle that. I'd rather our trip didn't end with me bailing you out of jail again."

He stood there staring for a moment as all his jealousy melted away with those words. Only he could have her. Only he could touch her. Only he could claim her.

"We need to leave," he bit out, grabbing her around the waist before she could sit down. "Now," he hissed in her ear.

"But – " she began, but he nipped her ear and pressed her tight to his body.

"If we don't leave now, I _will_ drag ya into the ocean and fuck you right here and now." His eyes found the bastard that tried to hit on her. The guy was nursing a bloody nose and he couldn't be prouder. She probably broke it. The bastard didn't deserve anything less. When the ass spotted them and met Kid's gaze, he grinned and held up his middle finger. She was his, and no one else's. "What'll it be, Kitten?" he asked. "'Cause that was the hottest thing I've ever seen you do, and I _need_ to fuck you. _Now_."

"Geez," she sighed, pushing back to glower at him. "Maybe I should just let you beat him up."

"Nope. Still gonna wanna fuck ya after… 'cept it'll probably be as a conjugal visit while I'm waiting to be tried for murder." He grinned down at her as she rolled her eyes. "Please."

She sighed again. "Since you said please…"

He didn't wait for her to finish before swooping in to give her a hard kiss.

"And because you were good and held back," she continued once he released her.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's go," he said, pushing her off the blanket so they could clean up.

She huffed, and then laughed as she went to roll up the blanket. "You're certainly impatient today."

He only grunted in response while shoving their towels and clothes in her bag. He threw the bag at her to put the blanket it, and snatched the cooler and inner-tube.

"You can't even wait a few minutes for me to finish drying off?" Nami asked, laughing as he stood there, resisting the urge to shove her toward the sidewalk to their hotel.

"No," he grunted, his eyes narrowing as she bent over to push the blanket into the overstuffed bag. "Definitely can't."

Once she was standing straight, he came over to nudge her forward with his leg, finally giving in to his impatience.

"Kid," she snapped while shouldering the bag.

"Hurry up," he grumbled, pushing her again.

She shot him a glare, but turned forward to stomp through the sand. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood."

That meant she was in the same mood as he was, and he hurried after her with a grin. She wanted him to fuck her, too.

They walked in silence. Kid didn't mind. His eyes were glued to her swaying hips as she rushed ahead. No matter what she said to sound annoyed with his urgency, she definitely wanted to get back as quickly as possible. At least that was what he thought until she made a sharp turn at the public showers.

She stopped at the single family bathroom, tried the handle to find it unlocked, and opened the door.

"Where the fuck are you - ?" he began to ask, but was cut off when her hand snapped out to grab him by the waist of his red and black trunks. He saw her wicked smile before she literally dragged him inside.

"I want to rinse off before we go back," she explained with feigned innocence.

"Rinse off, huh?" he mused as she went into the dim, green tiled room to set her bag down on a wooden bench. He dropped his things by the door. "_Just_ rinse off?" he asked while he watched her go toward the open shower stall to turn on a spray of water.

She hummed in answer, and he couldn't wipe off the grin as he watched her step under the water.

He made sure to lock the door before he stalked toward her.

The water was chillier than he'd like, but the salty smell told him it came straight from the ocean, so no chance of them heating it. It didn't bother him as he stepped in front of Nami and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Wicked little minx," he cooed, as he bent down to press his lips to her neck, once again reveling in the salty taste on her skin.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she giggled. Pushing at his chest, she forced him to turn so his back was to the water. "Bend down," she ordered. "There's sand in your hair."

He groaned, but leaned back and let her ran her fingers through his hair as the water washed out the sand. He didn't give a shit about being dirty, but he loved having her run her hands over him in the shower to clean him, and that went doubly so in that moment. The door might be locked, but they were still in a public place, and the thought of taking her right there, against the wall, thrilled him. He wasn't going to rush into it, though. He wanted to enjoy every second of it, especially since Nami had so boldly dragged him in there herself.

He moaned as her hands tugged at his hair, and then swept down his back, over his chest and abs, cleaning him off. She pressed her body close to his as she wrapped her arms around his waist, and her hands pushed beneath the waist of his trunks to grab his ass.

"Hey now," he teased with a grin, "someone's gettin' naughty."

"Just making sure you won't track sand into the hotel," she said. Her sly wink and the way she stuck out her tongue said otherwise.

"Yeah, of course," he said sarcastically. "Then guess I gotta do my part helping you clean off, too."

Nami hummed happily as his hand drifted between them to slide up her stomach. He teased beneath her breasts, and bent down to press his lips to her neck. He shifted to let water spray on her while his hand slid her top up, her breasts bouncing free. She began to pant as his hand brushed lightly over her mounds and then slid over her sternum to wash off the sand that had somehow collected there, knowingly toying with her as he kissed up to her ear.

He hummed against her ear as her hands drifted to his front, sliding over his hips.

"Such a dirty girl," he whispered as he felt her tug at the strings of his trunks. His hips rocked forward when he felt her brush against his hard length as she pulled the front of his shorts down. "I knew you wanted me to fuck you out there," he groaned when she touched his heated flesh, caressing his length with light strokes that were driving him mad.

"I'm just cleaning you off," she continued to argue, even as her hands went to cup and knead his sack.

"Right," he sighed as his lips drifted along her jaw and he bucked into her hand. His hand wrapped around her breast and squeezed. He plucked at her nipple to make her gasp and arch into his touch. "Just gettin' clean," he said before he snapped and shoved her back against the wall behind her. Her cry was cut off as his lips slammed to hers, and he devoured her with a desperate kiss.

"Kid," she whimpered against his lips as his hand drifted down to pull at the ties of her bottoms. Her other arm wrapped around his neck as he kissed her again, and let her loosened bikini briefs fall to the floor.

His fingers swept over her clit and trailed over her folds. He angled himself again to let the water spray on her, making sure there was no more sand before he pushed his fingers inside her.

"Gotta make sure you're clean," he groaned as her head fell back with a gasp. His kisses went back to her neck, angled so beautifully for him he couldn't resist sucking at her freckled skin until a red spot formed. She was his to mark, after all.

Her hand tightened on his length as he thrust his fingers into her. Squeezing and tugging, just how he liked, and he found himself thrusting into her hand in time with the pace of his fingers. He needed to be inside her, but he forced himself to wait, to push her to the brink until she was crying out and rolling her hips into his hand.

"Kid, please," she finally cried, tugging on his hair to pull him into a rough kiss. "Please," she whined between hungry pecks. "I need you. Please."

Every time she begged him, every time she said she needed him, he always wanted to roar in victory. Instead he moved fast, pulling his fingers from her as he wrapped his arm under her thighs to haul her up against the wall. She clung around his neck, holding tight as she helped guide his length to her core.

He didn't care who might hear her shout as he thrust into her hard. She was his, only his, and he wanted to make sure everyone knew it.

"Mine," he growled against her neck as he drove into her wildly. She teased him to the point of insanity on the beach, and then that prick had to make a move on her, so he let his lust for her turn greedy and urgent, tinged with the jealousy he felt in those brief moments before she proved to him that he was the only one she wanted. "You're all mine, Nami."

"Yes," she cried out. "I'm yours…" she panted, before her head rocked back with a loud moan. "Don't stop," she demanded, her eyes shut and nails digging into his back. "Harder, Kid."

She didn't have to tell him that as he picked up his pace and slammed into her until she was screaming.

"Say it again," he bit out between harsh pants. "Tell me you're mine."

She moaned, and forced herself to lift her head up. Her hands went to grasp his face and tug him to her for a deep kiss.

"I'm yours," she whispered hoarsely, and then let out a long moan as he thrust harder. Her foggy brown eyes held his, and he could see the sincerity in her gaze. "All yours. Only yours." She kissed him again, before whispering against his lips, "And you're mine."

He truly did love hearing her make that claim. He would never let her go, not for the entire world.

He sealed his lips to hers with a suffocating kiss, swallowing her cries and screams when she came minutes later. He refused to release her lips as he continued to fuck her against that wall, dragging out his pleasure as long as he could until she was clinging to him, her nails racking over his back as she came again, both of them panting desperately for air through their noses, neither wishing to end the kiss. Not until Kid drove himself over the edge with an explosive orgasm that left his legs shaking and head spinning.

He slumped against her, his hips still mindlessly rocking into her while he clung to whatever strength he had to keep himself on his feet. He finally ended the kiss to bury his face against her neck, sucking air into his starved lungs. Nami was shivering in his arms with every gentle, lingering thrust he gave her. It was adorable how she held him tight, trusting him to keep her up against the wall.

He hummed when he felt her fingers drift into his hair, and nuzzled into her neck. His heart rate was finally slowing, and Nami's breathing was steady again. Her head rested against his while her arms snaked around his neck in a firm hug only further strengthened by the legs she had wrapped around his waist. She wasn't about to let him go, either.

It was the most blissful feeling in the world knowing that she was his, without any argument or struggle. She was his treasure. Bright and beautiful, better than any piece of gold. And he could keep her... _forever_.

"God, I love you," he sighed without a thought as his arm squeezed her tight.

And then she gasped, and he realized what he had just said.

He stiffened, waiting for her to say something, but every passing moment that she didn't say anything was agony for him. She was completely still and he was certain she wasn't breathing.

He was an idiot. He shouldn't have said it. He knew it would only scare her. Even if he thought she might feel the same way, it was stupid to assume she'd be willing to acknowledge it. He had known she was attracted to him, yet she had fought against it, tooth and nail, and he knew in his gut this wouldn't be any different. Every second she didn't say anything only proved what he knew, proved that he had been right to keep those damn words to himself.

"Kid…" she finally began, her voice surprised and shaky. She was scared. He knew it. She was terrified of going any deeper with him. She'd run away again. _He knew it_. "Did you just – "

He pulled away and dropped her legs. "I didn't say anything," he grunted, refusing to look at her as he stepped out of the shower.

"But – "

"Don't say anything," he shouted as he stormed toward the door, pulling his shorts into place on the way. "Just… don't say anything."

"Kid!" she called after him, but he was already out the door.

"I'll be outside," he shouted back before the door shut.

He needed air. He needed to breathe. He couldn't do that in there, not with her. He didn't want to see the fear in her eyes, not again. He was going to lose her all because he loved her.

She couldn't love him back. How could she? He was a prick who was just as bad as the ass grabbing her in the water. He forced her into the relationship, how could she possibly feel the same as he did?

He paced back and forth, wishing he could punch himself for thinking he could truly get her to love him, and then crouched down to drag his hand through his hair as anxiety only continued to claw at his chest. He needed to calm down. She couldn't see him like this. She couldn't see him actually panicking over the thought of her leaving him…

All because he said that stupid word.

"Fuck!"

* * *

_**A/N: **I couldn't make the whole 'I love you' thing that easy and sweet. Kid's been so terrified of saying it, terrified of being rejected once and for all, that it couldn't be easy. He nearly said it like fifty times on the beach, I swear, but he truly has no filter during/after sex so it's a minor miracle she didn't hear him say it sooner._

_Anyway, I'm gonna work on the next chapter ASAP, since I know you guys probably want this resolved sooner rather than later. And I will continue to apologize to all my LawNa followers still eagerly awaiting for my muse to come back for Bloodstains. I'm sorry._


	31. Chapter 31

_As I said in the last chapter, there is smut in this chapter again. It's quite long, and involves some anal play because Kid demanded it. :3 After this, there will be no more smut in this fic, though, so depending on your take on the subject, that's either a good or bad thing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_Two Steps Forward_

As she watched the door shut behind him, all the air rushed out of her lungs. She was still in shock.

He had said it. He had said he loved her. And with such heartbreaking sincerity there was no way she could ignore it.

She had known. Once she realized just how deeply she cared for him, it wasn't very hard to figure out what those softened smiles and warm eyes meant every time he looked at her. Those looks never failed to make her feel like his most precious, cherished treasure. Knowing how important she was to him only made her fall harder, but she never expected him to say those words aloud. No matter how honest he was, there were some emotions that she couldn't imagine him being open about, at least not so willingly.

The fact he ran away from her proved as much.

She didn't understand why exactly he ran. Had he not meant to say it at all? Had he not actually realized that was how he felt about her? Was he in denial? Was he not ready to acknowledge it?

"Fuck!" she heard him shout, loud enough she would have sworn he was in the room with her if she didn't know better.

He was angry, and that only left her with more questions. Was he angry at himself? Or at her? Why was he angry? She knew him well enough to know that it wasn't so simple, that he had to be feeling something else, something he didn't want to feel, and shifted to anger to make it go away.

That thought proved painful, so much so, she felt herself sink against the chilly tile wall with a quiet whimper as her heart ached in her chest. Did he not want to love her?

The water was still running in front of her. The sound of the spray her only companion, her only comfort in there. She felt abandoned, alone, a sharp contrast to how perfect her day felt up until that moment. She wanted to cry, but he said he would be waiting outside, and his angry shout told her he was keeping his word.

He hadn't left her completely.

With a shuddering breath, she braced herself and forced her turbulent emotions to calm. If he wasn't ready to admit his feelings, then that was okay. She could understand that. She had been so willing to run in the beginning, to deny what she felt, that she knew she had to be patient. He wasn't ready. He needed time. And she would stay as stubborn and strong as he had in the beginning. It was only fair.

She finished cleaning up and quickly slipped her dress over her bikini. Annoyance hit her when she saw all their things scattered in the bathroom, but she strangled it before her temper got the best of her. Now wasn't the time to be picking a fight with him over a stupid cooler. She grabbed everything as best she could, and fought her way out the door to find Kid.

He was sitting on a concrete barrier a few yards up the sidewalk, shaded by a leafy bush with his head held in his hand and a leg bouncing in place. He glanced up when he heard her approaching, and she watched his jaw tighten. His gaze looked wary for a split second, and then it was hidden from her as his expression turned completely cold and guarded. Her ire waned at the sight as she realized why he was angry.

He was afraid.

She knew that emotion far too well.

"A little help?" she asked, holding up the cooler.

His leg stopped its nervous bounce, and he gave her a nod before standing. He didn't say a word as he came over to take the inner tube from over her head and the cooler from her hands.

"I have your shirt in the bag," she said. "Do you want to slip it on?"

"I'm fine," he grunted as he turned toward the hotel.

Having him freeze her out was far more painful than she expected it to be, but she refused to back down. He suffered through her attitude in the beginning without giving up. She wouldn't make the mistake of losing her temper with him like he had, at least not yet. He needed to be reassured, he needed a chance to see that nothing was going to change as long as he didn't want it to.

She skipped after him before he got too far ahead, and took a chance to slip her arm around his. She felt him tense up, but then with a long rush of breath, he relaxed and slowed his pace so she could keep up. He was definitely scared, though she doubted he would admit to it.

"We should go grab something to eat," she said with as much cheer as she could muster. "I saw a really nice seafood restaurant a few blocks away. They probably even have Sea King."

"Yeah. Sure," he grunted. "Sounds good."

_Patience_, she reminded herself. His mood would pass, and then she could think about approaching the subject hanging over their heads.

Back at the hotel, she realized his sullen mood was going to be tougher to break than she expected. She idly mentioned jumping in the shower again to wash out the salt water in her hair, and his only response was a grunt as he dropped their things and went to sit on the bed with his back to her as he began to reattach his prosthetic arm. One part of her wanted to throw something at his head to snap him out of it, but this attitude was nothing like she had faced with him before. She didn't know what to expect for a reaction if she acted rashly.

Considering his behavior, there was a chance he wouldn't react at all, and that actually terrified her more than his anger.

She left him alone to wash out her hair, and hid in the bathroom to get ready. It gave her time to formulate a plan of attack. She dried her hair into thick waves, and pulled back the top half with a seashell barrette. As she slipped into her baby blue sundress, she could hear him moving out in the bedroom and hoped that meant he was getting ready to go out. Once she had her white, high-heeled sandals on, she knew exactly how to approach him.

_Spoil him_.

He always responded well when his ego was petted. His pride was the key to his mood. It scared her at first how much that pride reminded her of Arlong – it could easily send him into a rage if it was bruised – but just like her former boss, it was a useful trait for manipulating him. And she didn't mind playing to his ego, it never failed to get her what she wanted without a fight, and they both benefited from it in the end.

When she found him pulling a light brown belt through the loops of his baggy, dark washed jeans, she knew it would be easy to take some of the tension away. He was wearing a short-sleeve, button-down brown shirt she had bought him for the trip that hugged his well-built frame like a second skin. With his back to her, she could see his muscles rippling through the fabric, and her hands itched to run over them. She gave in to that urge as she snuck up behind him.

He tensed at her touch again, but relaxed as her hands smoothed over his shoulders and she pressed herself to his back.

"I knew you'd look handsome in this shirt," she said and felt as his muscles relaxed even more.

"Yeah," he grunted, his head down as he focused on securing the large gold buckle of his belt. "It ain't bad."

She giggled at his flippant comment, it was better than a one-word grunt and more like him.

She slowly moved to stand in front of him, trailing her fingers over his side. She felt his abs ripple and tense with her touch, and if she wasn't careful, she would completely forget about getting something to eat and take another route to cheer him up. She doubted he would complain, but she was actually hungry and with his mood as unpredictable as it was, there was the chance he'd rebuff her. He had tried once before when he was in a sulky mood, and this one was far worse than the one he was in after her attack.

Kid watched her warily as she pressed her hands to his chest and smiled up at him. His hands left his belt and hung helplessly at his sides as she snaked her arms around his neck. When her fingers tangled in his hair, he swallowed a groan and swayed, finally grabbing her hips as he tried to keep his balance. She knew she was taking the right direction when his eyes shut and head fell back, encouraging her to scratch her nails over his scalp until he finally let out that groan he tried to restrain.

His hair was wavier than normal from the salt water, and she loved the thick, fluffy texture. A few strands hung over his forehead, free of the headband he typically wore, and she couldn't help but giggle when her touch only made his hair messier.

He peeked open an eye to look at her, his gaze still guarded. She only smiled as she wound a finger in an extra-curly strand.

"Hurry up," she said, tugging on his hair. "I'm starving since I didn't get to eat our snacks."

Kid huffed a quiet chuckle and finally cracked a hint of a smile. _Progress_.

She tugged him down for a chaste peck that made him sigh and wrap his arms tight around her waist. She caught a tiny grimace as he shut his eyes and stole another kiss. He was definitely scared, and hurting, but he was trying so hard to pretend he was fine.

He was a horrible actor, though.

She pulled back to let him finish getting ready, and made sure to smack his ass before moving out of his arms. It earned another smile and snort of amusement, but nothing more. She had a feeling he really just needed to hear how she felt, but his mood made her hesitate. She wanted to make sure she knew why he ran, why he was so afraid. She wouldn't put her heart out there if he wasn't ready to accept it; then they would both be hurting.

Once he slipped on his watch and a brown leather bracelet, she snatched him by the hand and dragged him out the door. By the time they were walking out of the hotel, she knew he was starting to feel better as his fingers tangled with hers in a tight hold and his thumb mindlessly brushed over hers. Within a block, she had him chuckling again after she checked her phone to see twenty angry text messages from Luffy. He had sent a few the day before, but it seemed he was still annoyed with them for leaving without him… even though he wasn't invited. Kid's amusement was still tempered and quiet, but she would take it.

"He better not break into my house," Nami huffed. "We'll have to find something extra good for him when we go shopping tomorrow."

Kid grunted and she felt his fingers flex around hers.

"I hope you're ready to be my pack mule," Nami teased, despite his lack of response. She held up their joined hands, refusing to unlink them even as she began to count out her list on her fingers. "We'll get Luffy some taffy. Franky – an extremely tacky shirt, or maybe a new speedo. I think I saw a good imported liquor store somewhere here, we can get Zoro some sake. Sanji would probably love another recipe book. Usopp… maybe a new sketch book or journal. We'll see what I find. I can get Robin just about anything here, and she'll love it, but maybe some sunglasses or a new hat." She hummed as she leaned against his arm. "We should get stuff for your friends, too. What do you think they'd like?"

Kid shrugged, this time his silence annoying her enough to frown at him. He sighed and let his head fall back. "Get Killer a shirt. He likes blue." He scowled in thought. "Wire and Heat aren't too picky. They'll be happy if you get them anything."

"Well, Wire wears a lot of fishnets," she giggled, "maybe we'll find something like that."

Kid snorted, and again she caught a more relaxed smirk. "Nah, he's got a closet full of that shit. He doesn't need more."

"Fair enough." She hummed. "Maybe a new lighter?"

Kid shrugged. "Yeah, maybe if we find a cool one."

"Something with skulls or sharp pointy things judging from the peek I got into his room."

Kid chuckled and his fingers squeezed hers again. By the time they were done eating, she knew it'd be safe to talk about what he said.

"Get Heat something really, really stupid and pointless," he finally suggested. "Like the gaudiest, silliest tourist sort of souvenir you can find."

"Like one of those bobbling hula dancers?" Nami snickered.

"Exactly." His smile was slowly threatening to become a grin. "He'll stare at it forever and probably put it on display in his room. He's got a weird little shrine of knick-knack type things on his dresser, just stupid shit he picks up on trips, or at the store. I haven't figured out a pattern to it yet. It's pretty fucking random." He snorted as a thought seemed to occur to him. "Though he also has a lot of weird bones. I haven't got the slightest clue where he found 'em, or what they're from… It makes the shrine thing look like this weird pagan alter. Don't know what deity takes souvenir shot glasses or a special edition Pez dispenser or a cheap monkey statue as sacrifices or whatever, and I ain't about to ask."

Nami giggled at the image in her head as she wrapped herself around his arm. She would have to sneak into Heat's room the next time she was over to see it for herself.

"So something suitably weird and eccentric for him," she decided. "I'm confident we'll find something."

"Yeah," he hummed, and she dared to look up at him to see he was staring down at her, his smile relaxed and warm. He released her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulder, and looked ahead as he squeezed her against his side. "We will," he finished.

As she wound her arms around his waist, she hid her elated smile. After dinner, they'd definitely talk about earlier. He'd be calm enough that they could avoid a fight, the last thing she wanted to do over a topic that should be happy and good, a step forward in their relationship. With his response to her attempts at easing his mood, she at least knew he wasn't in denial of his feelings, or pretending to be oblivious to them. If he was, he'd still be holding firm to his distant frown and cold looks, not gracing her with that adoring smile that never failed to make her feel important to him.

When his arm came to dangle in front of her chest, and his other hand slipped into his pocket, his pace slowed even as the restaurant loomed a few doors ahead. He was relaxed and happy, or at least letting himself enjoy the peace between them. He might still be afraid, she wasn't sure, but at the moment he was taking advantage of the normalcy in their conversation. She was more than happy to let him.

"So? What are you going to get to eat?" she asked brightly.

"Biggest fucking Sea King steak they got."

* * *

Dinner went well, though Kid still acted surprisingly shy while she did her best to coax him into conversation. Shy was the only way she could describe it by the time they left. He wasn't really cold, but he was quiet. He held her hand or kept his arm wrapped around her shoulder as they headed back to the hotel, but he didn't try to make any other moves on her, didn't get rough or playful like he normally would. His touches were polite, civil, and restrained. And while they certainly were capable of talking for long periods without him making a lewd or overly cocky comment, for the whole of dinner, he didn't make one perverse remark or give a single, over the top brag about himself.

She knew him well enough to know he had plenty of opportunity to say something gross, especially considering she purposefully laid out the bait for it.

His eyes were glued to her thumb when she sucked some butter off from her lobster. He had a perverted thought on his mind, she could see it in his eyes, but he just shook his head and went back to his meal without sharing. That had been disappointing. She never imagined she'd miss hearing him sexualize everything.

They definitely had to address what happened. The longer they went without bringing it up, the harder it was going to be on him. Even if he was relaxed, he was obviously worried about something.

It was still early when they got back to the hotel, but Kid seemed pretty beat as he kicked off his boots and lounged on the bed. He flipped on the TV while she took off her shoes.

"Wanna watch a movie or somethin'?" he asked while scrolling through the channels.

It was now or never.

"Sure," she said as she slid her earrings out and set them on the desk. "But first I want to talk."

He didn't say anything but his body had gone completely rigid and his jaw was locked tight. His eyes looked like they were trying to make the television explode, he was glaring at it so hard. She saw a hint of panic in the rapid rise and fall of his chest, his breaths coming short and quick. She hoped he didn't lose his temper because of it.

"About what you said…" she began, but he abruptly sat up and tossed the remote on the nightstand.

"I told you not to say anything," he growled, spinning to sit on the side of the bed with his back to her.

"Kid," she snapped, coming around to his side so she could see his face. He kept his head down and fists clenched, once again refusing to look at her. "We obviously need to talk about this. You've been acting weird ever since -"

"I ain't acting weird," he argued. "It's fine. Just drop it."

He moved to stand, and she instinctively knew he was going to run again. She wouldn't let him run away this time. She grabbed him by the shoulders, and pushed him back to the bed, holding him there as she stood over them.

"It's not fine," she said, letting some of her own fear and frustration leak into her voice. She didn't want to fight about this. There was nothing to fight about. But if he ran away, then it would only make what she had to say that much harder.

His head warily lifted so he could meet her gaze. His eyes were guarded again, searching hers. He looked wounded, and all she wanted to do was reassure him. Hopefully once they were done talking, he would feel better.

"Did you mean it?" she asked as her fingers dug into his shoulders, silently pleading that he open up. He pursed his lips, but didn't look away. She squeezed his shoulders. "Kid!"

"Yes!" he finally shouted and turned his face away to sneer at the wall. "Of course I did," he grumbled.

"Then why did you run away?"

"I didn't run away!" he yelled, glaring at her now.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Then why did you walk away?"

He growled under his breath, and once again refused to meet her eyes.

"Why were you scared?" she pressed when he didn't answer.

"I wasn't scared," he snapped.

Again, she rolled her eyes, but he fidgeted on the bed and huffed, so she knew he was going to say more.

"_You_ were scared," he muttered.

"What?" she asked in surprise.

"I wasn't thinking. I knew I shouldn't have said it because it would scare you. Every time I'd tell ya how I feel about ya in the past, you'd freak out and run away. Even when all I wanted was to hang out with you, you still pushed me away every time it got to be too much, and like an idiot, I just kept pushing back until you gave in." He kept his head down and swept a hand through his hair, growling at himself once more. "You've been so happy lately, and I don't want that to change just 'cause I went and said how I feel."

Once again, she was shocked speechless. She knew her behavior in the beginning had hurt him, but she didn't expect it would continue to affect how he behaved with her. No wonder why he was hurting. He was afraid of losing her because of his honesty, the trait she loved most about him.

"Kid…" She sighed, and pushed on his shoulders so he would sit straight. He grunted as she slid onto his lap, straddling him, and took his face in her hands. "Why would you think I'd be scared of how you feel? I already knew."

His eyes widened. "You didn't say anything…"

"I was in shock." She smiled, her thumbs caressing his cheeks. "I never expected you to actually say it aloud. I was happy knowing how you felt just by the way you look at me, and everything you've done for me. You never had to say it if you didn't want to."

He frowned and tilted his head forward, trying to hide from her again. "But I do want to say it," he admitted quietly. "I always do. I've said it a lot… this was just the first time you heard it... and you didn't say anything…"

He was sulking, and Nami knew she shouldn't find it so cute, but to see Kid actually vulnerable all because of an emotion… All she wanted to do was hold him.

"You kind of ran away before I could," she teased, unable to help herself. He glared at her, and she sighed, sparing him a sympathetic smile. "I can understand why you were worried," she said. "These things do scare me. _A lot_," she admitted as his glare waned into a frown. "For a long time, I never wanted anyone to get close to me… in _any_ way. The people that I loved, and that loved me… they always got hurt trying to protect me… And for a long time, some of them pushed me away, shut me out of their lives. It was easier to run away from everyone who might care rather than let them get hurt… or hurt me." His arms slid around her waist as she spoke, comforting her as she felt her lip quiver until she forced a smile. "That was then, but this is now… And I'm not afraid of you anymore."

"Nami…" he breathed out, but anything else he might have wanted to say was cut off as she brushed her lips over his in a gentle kiss.

She pulled away smiling. "I love you, too."

It was his turn to be shocked. She giggled as his jaw dropped and eyes widened. The way he was searching her face told her he didn't believe her, or didn't know if he should. He was looking for a tell, a clue to say she was lying, just saying what he wanted to hear for his sake. He wouldn't find anything, though.

When he seemed to believe her, his shock morphed into a glare.

"Why the hell didn't you say something sooner!?" he shouted while she laughed at his anger.

"Because you were acting weird," she said, giving his shoulders a playful shove. "I wanted to make sure you weren't going to freak out and break up with me because of it."

"Why the fuck would I break up with you over that!?"

"How would I know!?" she yelled back through her continued laughter. She knew he wasn't truly angry, merely frustrated, and she wasn't surprised by his reaction. It was adorably him. "I could have been wrong thinking you knew how you felt. What if you got overwhelmed and scared –"

"I ain't you, damn it!" he interrupted. "I don't get scared!"

"Yes you do," she snickered.

He growled at her bright smile before suddenly wrapping his arms around her and dragging her into a tight hug. "Shut up," he huffed. "I wasn't scared."

She wound her arms around his neck, allowing him to bury his face against her shoulder. "Yes you were," she teased. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"I wasn't scared, damn it," he stubbornly denied, even as his hold tightened further.

"Fine," she relented with an exaggerated sigh. "I'm sorry I _worried_ you."

He growled again, and squeezed her more.

"You're crushing me," she groaned, but he only squeezed harder. When she gasped, "Can't breathe," he finally loosened his hold. Once she could catch her breath, she giggled again and nuzzled into his hair. "Feel better?" she asked quietly.

He nodded against her shoulder, keeping his face hidden. She was curious what expression he was hiding, but when she shifted to draw back, his arms clamped around her chest to lock her against him.

"Are you just going to hold me like this all night?"

He nodded again, and she laughed at his stubbornness.

"You _are_ going to have to let go of me eventually," she said.

He shook his head and fell back in bed. A hand came up to tangle in her hair to press her face to his neck while he rolled them to their sides.

"You're being weird again," she whispered teasingly.

"Shut it," he growled back. "Just let me stay like this a while longer."

"I thought we were going to watch a movie," she reminded.

"Later," he grunted.

"You can hold me while we watch TV," she suggested. "You don't have to let me go at all."

"No," he huffed.

She rolled her eyes. "You're so stubborn," she teased. He only huffed and held her tighter. "You're going to kill me with your cuddling at this point."

"I ain't cuddling," he said, sounding like a petulant child.

"Yes you are."

"I ain't."

"You're holding me and not doing anything else. I think this counts as cuddling. You cuddle with me a lot, actually."

"No I don't."

"Why won't you just admit you cuddle?"

"'Cause I don't."

"You're just a big, cuddly teddy bear, Kid, albeit an angry one" she snickered. "Or I guess I should say a puppy dog since you always call me Kitten."

"Shut up," he growled lowly. "Stop making fun of me."

"I'm not making fun of you. I would _never_ make fun of you." She stifled her giggles against his neck.

He growled and squeezed her again. "Now you're patronizing me, damn it."

"Maybe a little," she admitted with a quiet laugh. "But you still love me," she sang into his ear.

He was silent for a moment, and then he let out a sigh before lifting his face from her shoulder. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and muttered, "Yeah, I do."

Nami grinned as he brushed kisses over her cheek. His nose nudged hers, and she watched his eyes flutter open as he pecked her lips. She had never seen him look so calm and content, and all because he loved her… and she loved him back.

His hand came around to trail over her jaw as his nose rubbed over hers. Sweet and slow, his thumb brushed over her cheek while his head tilted to capture her lips again. Neither of them had to say a word that wasn't conveyed in the kiss they exchanged. It was tentative and shy, but drawn out and languid. It was like a first kiss, and in a way it was. It was the first kiss of a new stage, a bond neither of them had experienced before. Their hearts were completely bare to each other for the first time, with no hesitation or fear between them.

She wasn't sure how long they laid there exchanging such sweet kisses. She felt like they could spend the rest of the night like that, and Kid seemed just as happy to stay tangled together. His hands didn't even wander, the most he did was push his thigh between her legs while hers wrapped high on his waist. His arm beneath her stayed comfortably around her waist, locking her to him, while his other hand cupped her cheek with only a few fingers tangling into the loose strands of her bangs that fell from her barrette.

Eventually it proved to not be enough, at least for her. She needed to be closer.

She used the hold she had on his waist to press her hips against his, drawing a deep groan from him. His hips rocked into hers and his hand drifted back into her hair, gripping tight as he deepened the kiss. His tongue played over hers and he breathed in her whimpers, but as hungry as the embrace was, he still didn't do anything more than rub his thigh over her core.

When her hands tangled in his hair and tugged, he finally shoved her back and settled between her legs. He was hard, but still kept to an agonizingly slow pace as his hand released her hair and trailed gently down her neck, over her shoulder and arm. The light touch sent shivers down her spine that made her squirm beneath him. He brushed the side of a breast, and she whined into the kiss as she arched into him, but his hand only settled at her waist to pull her into him as he ground their hips together. Even though it was torture for him to touch her so tenderly, she couldn't complain, not when it was making her heart race and lungs grow breathless.

It was like he was savoring her, drinking her in as slowly as he could. He was appreciating every touch, every taste, every quiet noise she made. He wasn't in any rush, and she supposed they didn't need to be. They had that night, and the next, and the next. They had a week from now. A month from now. They had all the time they desired as far as she was concerned.

"Kid," she gasped when he finally broke from her lips to kiss her neck. Their bodies rolled together, steady and slow, but still he didn't move his hands from her waist.

His lips slowly descended to wrap around her collarbone, and her chest tingled with anticipation. She pushed at his head, urging him to go lower, to satisfy the parts aching for more. The most she got for her efforts was a nip to her bone before he began to trail his kisses up the other side of her neck.

She whined in disappointment while his lips brushed over her jaw.

She pouted when he kissed her chin.

When he returned to her mouth, his tongue teased over her lower lip and she looked up at him to see amusement shining in his eyes. She didn't get a chance to chastise him for his teasing as his lips reclaimed hers, deeper and more urgent as he pressed his whole body against hers.

Still, it set her on fire.

Her fingers dug into his hair and tugged sharply. Kid was forced to abandon the kiss with a stifled groan as she angled his head back to expose his throat. She kissed his chin and then dragged her teeth down over the front of his neck and his bobbing Adam's Apple. It was enough to spur him on as she listened to him hiss and bite back a curse. His hips rocked into her harder, and then she nipped at the hollow of his throat – his patience snapped right after.

His left arm unwound from her waist to snatch a hand from his hair. He pinned it above her head while he slammed his lips to hers again. His free hand finally drifted up to roughly cup her breast, and his hips rolled into her core even harder. The friction made her buck and cry out into the kiss, but he smothered the sound with his lips as he ground into her harder still.

He hadn't even tried to take their clothes off, to touch her without the layers of fabric between them, and yet her body burned with pleasure as if he had entered her, as if he were thrusting deep inside her. Her mind was becoming hazy with each rock of his hips. His length was hard within his jeans, and she knew he had to be hurting for her touch, for some relief.

Her free hand trailed down his jaw to his chest, and she struggled to undo the buttons of his shirt. It was all she could reach with his body pressed so tight to hers, but she hoped just touching the skin of his chest would encourage him to do more. Instead he released her breast and snatched her hand to pin above her head with the other. As his fingers intertwined with hers, he broke the kiss to let her see his wide grin.

"Kid, what are you –" He interrupted her with a kiss as his hips slammed against hers, taking her breath away.

He didn't let up for a second as he ground against her, harder and harder without a break. Pleasure flooded through her, completely out of her control. She couldn't think, couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. All she could do was feel as her body began to clench and shake before she completely shattered beneath him.

Her back arched high off the bed as her legs clamped tight around his waist. She tore her lips from his to cry out, but he didn't stop grinding over that spot, forcing her body to shudder wildly and clutch for something to hold onto. He sucked and bit at her throat, like a ravenous animal with his prey, until she finally screamed and fell limp.

"There's one," he chuckled in her ear as he gentled his kisses and stilled above her.

"One?" she asked, her mind a muddy haze.

"Mhm," he hummed, leaving a tender peck behind her ear that made her shiver. "We have all night to see how many times I can make you come." He kissed back down her neck, over her chest. The light fluttering of his lips made her eyes shut and she hummed in delight while she began to ache for more all over again… Until his words registered and her eyes shot wide. He chuckled as he pushed up to hover over her and smiled. "I'm gonna treat you like my fucking queen tonight." He kissed her nose, her cheeks, the corners of her mouth. "'Cause that's what you are," he said lowly before lightly kissing her lower lip.

She was already flushed from her first orgasm, but she felt her cheeks heat further with his words. _His queen_. It was so corny, but knowing how arrogant he could be, she wasn't too surprised by the title. She liked it.

To have him treat her so tenderly, though, that was affecting her even more. It was still tinged with his usual aggressiveness, his movements rough and almost forceful, but the effort he was making to focus on her, to spoil her, to only make her feel good while he suffered without any satisfaction was enough to make her see how special this was to him, how special _she_ was to him.

He always did show more emotions through sex. He was completely open in those moments of passion, so it only made sense that this time he let her see how deep his love and desire for her went.

"Kid," she cooed before he stole another soft peck.

His hands released hers and glided down her arms as they kissed, tickling her and making her shiver all over again. When his hands reached her shoulders and she began to bring her arms down to wind around his neck, he moved his kisses to her cheek, allowing her to smile at all the affection.

"Does this mean you're my king?" she asked with a quiet giggle as his breath fanned over her sensitive ear. She arched and shivered as his lips wrapped around her lobe, and she listened to him chuckle.

"Of course," he whispered.

"Then shouldn't I be spoiling you, too?" she asked as his fingers danced over the thin straps of her dress. As he slowly began to slide them off, she arched into him and felt his next chuckle rumble in his chest.

"You are," he said.

"But I haven't even touched you," she said, pouting.

He didn't look to see her sulky frown, too busy sprinkling kisses down her neck. He shifted to sit on his knees, leaning over her as he pushed her straps to her elbows, and trapped her arms at her side while he went to pull down the front of her dress. His touch was slow and methodical. His fingertips barely grazed her sensitive nipples, but it was enough to make her gasp and roll her hips toward him, searching for some friction again. His body was just out of her reach though, and she was left aching for relief.

"I don't need you to touch me to spoil me," he explained quietly as his kisses drew down her chest. With her breasts free, his hands smoothed up her waist and ribs to tease beneath the heavy mounds, his thumbs brushing along the soft flesh. "All I need is to see how good I make you feel."

"But I want to touch you," she whined as she raised her hands to graze his sides, the only part she could reach with how he trapped her arms in the straps of her dress.

"Should've brought the handcuffs," he muttered to himself.

"Kid," she snapped impatiently, but his only response was a quick nip to her hardened bud that sent shocks through her whole body. They were so sensitive from his slower pace, she couldn't hold back her loud cry as she arched into him.

"Wonder if I can make you come like this," he mused before wrapping his lips around the nipple.

She knew he was determined to find out as he groaned against her flesh and sucked with an almost painful force. A hand played with her other breast, massaging it, rolling the nipple beneath his thumb until it was a hard pebble begging for more. When he released her nipple from his mouth, he blew over the bud, chilling the wet skin and sending another shiver through her. She cried out when he attacked her other breast, intent on giving it the same treatment.

"Ah! Kid…" she gasped as her hips rolled up, searching for his body. "It's not enough…" she whimpered while her core clenched, too aware of its emptiness. "Please…"

Kid grunted against her breast, but the only relief he spared her came from his torso slowly lowering between her legs as he stretched out on the bed. It was better than nothing. She had something to rub against, and she could feel his subtle movements as he hungrily sucked and bit her breasts. She was sensitive enough that even the soft brush of his chest through her dress was able to make her core tighten and shiver pleasantly. It still wasn't enough, but it was definitely _something_ and she couldn't stop her hips from bucking into him.

Her legs wrapped around him as the sensations grew too intense, and she managed to slip her arms from her dress straps to dig her fingers in his hair. He growled, but didn't restrain her as he squeezed her breasts roughly and let her grind against him. Within a few minutes, she was crying out again, one hand tugging at his hair while the other vainly covered her mouth to muffle her sounds. Kid didn't appreciate the attempt to remain quiet judging by his deep growl before he bit down hard, forcing her to shriek.

She was going to be covered in bruises the next day thanks to him.

His tongue darted out to lap over the mark he left almost apologetically. It served to make her shudder and buck, her chest drew tight as the sensation took her breath away. He once more blew over the wet skin, and this time as her core brushed against him, she hit a spot that made her clench and shiver uncontrollably as another small orgasm began to tease her. Kid took notice of her tense frame, licked over her nipple, and again blew a puff of cool air over her while pressing his torso tighter between her legs. The increased pressure forced pleasure to course through her, and she threw her head back as the sensations continued to intensify until she was nearly pushing him off the bed with her as she arched; only his stubborn strength kept them down.

"Two," he said through a hoarse chuckle as she slumped back to the mattress. His kisses and nips turned gentle again as they traveled down to her stomach, his fingers curling around the fabric of her dress to push it down.

She was gasping for air with her hand pressed to her forehead. She couldn't stop shaking and it felt like every nerve ending was on fire. Was he really going to keep torturing her this way?

She whimpered pathetically when he sat back on his knees again and slowly tugged her dress over her hips. She lifted up to help him slide the fabric down her legs, watching as a wide grin spread over his face. With her dress and underwear tossed aside, he slid his palms up her thighs, humming appreciatively as he watched them glide up to her hips.

"You're so damn perfect, you know that?" he said as his hands trailed back down to her knees. His smile softened as he bent back over her to steal a quick peck. "I'm never giving you up now."

She laughed tiredly. "Now? I thought that was your plan from the start."

He chuckled and gave her another kiss. "It was."

Kid's hands slid back up her legs as he sat straight. He held her gaze as his thumbs brushed over her wet slit, watching as she gasped and bucked. He continued to watch her as his left hand went to grasp her waist, and his right stayed at her core, his thumb sliding tenderly between her lips.

"I love seeing you like this," he said lowly as his thumb rubbed over her clitoris. The little nub was swollen and hot, and his thumb slipped over it smoothly, making her core tighten as a shock jolted her. "Making that face," he continued, licking his lips. "You love when I do this to you, huh? Love it when I make you come so hard you can't think straight. Only I can do this to you."

"Kid," she whined as his thumb continued to roll over the sensitive bundle of nerves. The steady circling pace he used made warmth pool low in her belly as her core continued to tighten in anticipation of what was to come. This one would be different than the first two. Purposeful, direct, touching her right where she needed him to.

"That's it, Nami," he cooed as he moved to brace himself on his other arm, his gaze boring into her as she grew hotter. She was panting and couldn't restrain her moans, and she watched as his own breathing grew labored. How much longer could he endure this? He had to be painfully aroused by that point. He never restrained himself for so long, at least not purposefully. His thumb pressed harder, pulling a sharp, high pitched gasp from her as her head fell back. He growled lowly, and increased the pressure again. "Let me watch you come for me. Let me see you make that face only I can give you."

His gaze was too intense, his request too much, and she tried to cover her face with her hands as she felt the first trembling sensations ripple through her. Kid growled, grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head as he hovered over her, his thumb circling faster until she couldn't resist it anymore. She cried out and bucked, her eyes shooting wide as her whole back arched. He didn't slow down for a second, and she could hear him snarling as he watched her come again.

"Three," he growled.

Before her orgasm was even close to calming, he twisted his hand to drive two fingers into her with another loud snarl. He forced her to ride through her orgasm, right into another one as he pumped his fingers faster and faster, and held his thumb to her clit. Her hold body was tight as waves of pleasure overwhelmed her, and her cries only became louder as she felt her core clamp around his fingers.

"Four," he said, the word barely recognizable through his constant snarls.

He released her hands and moved fast to lower his head between her legs. His fingers left her just as his tongue swept over her hypersensitive core, and she squealed as it sent tiny shocks through her. Her legs squeezed around his head, but that didn't deter him as he sucked at her folds while his hands went beneath her thighs to push her up.

She was feeling so much, she was practically numb. She couldn't catch her breath fast enough as she gasped and bucked against his face. She didn't even notice his right hand moving along her backside until she felt a wet finger passing over tender flesh down the center. That sinful touch took all her breath away, and Kid's mouth stilled over her core so he could stare up at her, watch her gasp and squirm as he teased around the edge of the tight hole.

She did her best to stay relaxed. It wasn't the first time he had played with her like that, tested her limits and took her a little farther. She always enjoyed it, but this time she was so overwhelmed from everything he had already done, she couldn't help but writhe and arch, her body unsure if it welcomed the new sensation or not.

"Relax, Kitten," Kid cooed against her lower lips, his breath fanning over hot flesh. She shivered and felt herself sink down again as he stilled his finger. "Breathe," he commanded. "Let me make me you come one more time," he said.

"Just one more?" she asked, strangely disappointed. He still needed his release.

His finger toyed with her again as he chuckled. She gasped as he slowly pushed the digit into her, and moaned as he gently stroked her, filling her with indescribable pleasure.

"Maybe two more," he said, his breath teasing over her as he chuckled. "If you can handle it."

She couldn't respond, too busy sinking into the newest sensations running through her core and up her spine. With every slow stroke, she spasmed and clenched. Her canal twitched, desiring more, to be full and satisfied. The only relief it received was the occasional sweep of his tongue as it swirled over her clit and dove between her folds.

It was still enough to make her eyes roll back as she let out a deep moan. Before she knew it, his pace sped up and she found her body overcome with pleasure again. Every muscles was tense and hot, her mind could only grasp onto the feelings washing over her as she slowly but surely shattered with his touch all over again. The longer it continued, the higher her cries became as she said his name over and over, mixed with pleas for _something_, for _everything_, for him to keep going until she was shouting out more curses than he ever did.

"Five," he said with ringing finality once her body collapsed back to the bed. He sounded positively satisfied with that as he drew back to sit on his knees, staring down at her with the cockiest smirk she had ever seen.

All she could do was lay there, panting for air to fill her aching lungs. She stared back with hooded eyes. She felt drowsy, but she knew she couldn't sleep, not yet. Tiny jolts continued to force her muscles to twitch, even while the rest of her felt too weak to do anything but lay there, completely at his mercy.

She had a feeling that was what he was most satisfied with.

"How ya feeling?" he asked quietly. "Good?"

She hummed in answer as she watched his hands come up to slowly unbutton his shirt. She wanted to touch those smooth muscles as he revealed them, but she couldn't move, couldn't even speak. All she could do was watch.

"Hope you don't plan to fall asleep on me," he teased, tossing away his shirt.

He was so big, so strong. She couldn't wait to have those arms wrapped around her again.

She watched his hands drift to his belt, and yet again he undid it at an agonizingly slow pace. She could see he was straining against his jeans, desperate for that release he was so set on denying himself.

"Think you can handle one more?" he asked as he kicked the last of his clothes to the floor.

Despite how spent her body felt, she eagerly nodded as he crawled over her. It took some effort, but she managed to raise her arms and wind them around his neck. Kid chuckled as he turned to press a kiss to her arm, and then another and another as he worked his way up to her neck.

"Good," he hummed, sinking down on top of her. "'Cause I'm really achin' to be inside you now."

His hard length brushed over her sensitive clit, and she jumped, letting out a tiny squeak as the light touch sent another spasm through her core. She felt as fragile as glass, ready to shatter all over again and he hadn't even entered her.

Kid chuckled as he pressed a kiss to her jaw, and then to her cheek. "You sure you can handle it? I don't wanna break ya if it's too much."

"You won't," she huffed as his lips brushed over her skin until they found hers for a teasing peck.

He braced himself above her, exchanging fluttery kisses. His massive body blocked out the whole room, the whole world. He surrounded her, dominated her every sense, and she never felt more secure. She would always be safe with him.

When his tip began to press into her, she rolled her head back to gasp. She was still so sensitive that her walls tightened with just that bit of pressure. Kid kissed her chin as he pushed in slowly. She could feel him shake with restraint he had never shown before. His breath came in harsh pants and grunts the further he got in. He distracted himself from the pressure of her canal by raking his teeth along her chin between kisses, while she felt wisps of pleasure coil and burst inside her, making her squeeze his length as he slowly stretched her.

He eventually lost his patience fighting against her tight walls, and thrust in with a relieved groan. She cried out and wrapped herself around him as she caught her breath from the unexpected shock it sent through her. He panted for air against her neck, holding himself still as she drank in the feeling of him inside her, filling her like only he could while her core gripped him tight. He never stayed still for so long, but that night he held himself there with his arms around her, clinging to her as she clung to him.

"Didn't hurt you, did I?" he whispered hoarsely.

She shook her head. "You can probably count that as six."

He huffed a short laugh. "Really? I think I can do a lot better than that."

Her giggle turned into a sigh when he gently slid his length out, barely more than an inch, and then rolled back into her until he was flush against her hips. "I know you can do better," she admitted as he stilled again, "but I thought you were going for quantity tonight?"

"I was," he chuckled, "but this last one…" He trailed off as he lifted his head to stare down at her with that tender smile that always told her what he felt better than any words. He trailed his nose over hers, and then sank into a warm kiss as she felt his hands gently tangle with her hair. "This last one," he continued quietly, "I wanna make it a _really_ good one."

She snickered. "Mmm, you're going to have to move to do that," she teased, squirming beneath him.

He groaned and nipped at her lips before kissing her again. "I'll get to that," he grunted. "You just feel really good like this…" He shifted and ground lightly into her, then stilled with another groan. "_Too_ good," he confessed against her lips. "Almost came with that first thrust."

"That's because you wouldn't let me touch you," she huffed. He chuckled at her feigned pout, gave her another kiss, and then tentatively began to rock his hips again.

"It was worth it to see you come all those times. You're extra fucking gorgeous when ya fall apart like that." He grunted with his subtle movements, and stole her lips for a soft kiss. "I should do that more often."

She hummed into his next kiss, her body once more growing warm from his slow and shallow thrusts. She agreed, he should do this more often, but in her heart it didn't matter how he took her. He never failed to leave her satisfied. This time was special, though. The way he was shaking, holding himself back, told her he felt the same, that he intended for it to be unique, unlike every other time their bodies joined.

His body burned above hers as he kept to his steady, rolling pace. He was so tight to her, she could feel his abdominal muscles flutter and tighten with every movement. His skin slid over hers, heating her body from the outside, while his thrusts stoked a fire inside her.

Their lips brushed lightly, teasing over one another as their breath mingled between the barest of kisses. He'd nip at her, or flick his tongue against her lip, all the while grinning playfully. When she would laugh quietly, he'd give her a harder peck, mold their lips together, and draw a long moan from her throat.

She knew when he couldn't hold his pace any longer, grew impatient with such small movements. He grew serious, his kisses became deep and hungry, and his movements harder. One hand dug in her hair, while his other arm wrapped underneath her, held her tight as his heat clouded her mind. He groaned when her arms wound around his head, surrounding him so all he could see was her. He pushed into her deeper then, pressed his body to her harder, and devoured her with his lips.

That fire and pressure inside her continued to rise, threatening to consume her.

"One more," Kid groaned as he pulled from the kiss to bury his face to her neck. His arms held her tighter as his thrusts came harder and deeper. The only sound she could make was a gasp mixed with his name, too hot, too overwhelmed, too close to her finish to say anymore. "Come on, Nami," he growled, grinding into her, "just one more. Give me one more."

She wanted to. It was right there, ready to course through her whole body, but it held itself back. She didn't want the pleasure to end.

He panted harshly in her ear as he sped up. His cheek was flush to hers, the sheen of sweat on their skin making them slide together and somehow make her feel that much more connected to him.

She clung to him tighter as the heat began to overwhelm her. It was too much, but not enough. She wanted it to keep going and going and going.

"Fuck… Nami…" Kid grunted as she felt his lips press hard against her cheek.

His hot breath fanned over her with his gasps for air while he drove into her, hitting a spot deep inside her that made her toes curl and legs wrap high on his waist. Her arms hugged him tight while she tried to bury her face against his shoulder and muffle her sharp cries. It seemed to only encourage him to keep going, to speed up until her uninhibited screams became stuttered with the force of his thrusts.

"Come on… One more…" he growled again and again. His fingers dug into her hair, scratching over her scalp as he bit out a strangled curse and his pace faltered for a split second. He was close, too. "One more… One more…"

When the pressure finally couldn't be contained, Nami's head flew back as her scream got stuck in her throat. Her core gripped him tight as her whole body went stiff in his hold. Every nerve ending was on fire again, the heat more intense than before. Pure euphoria flooded her mind, burning away every thought, every sense, everything but the feeling of relief.

In the midst of her bliss, she vaguely heard him shout in relief as he slammed into her as deep as he could go and stilled, releasing inside her. She didn't even care when his heavy body went limp and collapsed on top of her. She merely shut her tired eyes and held him, listening to his deep, raspy breaths while his heart beat against her chest.

When he finally moved again, he groaned and struggled to lift some of his weight from her.

"I blacked out," he stated as he nuzzled her neck.

"Me, too," she said, smiling.

He hummed in response, and began to pull himself up while pressing kisses to her cheek. She couldn't move at all, her arms felt too heavy, but they didn't relinquish their hold around his neck. He chuckled when he tried to sit back on his knees, only to have her come with him. She really didn't want to let go of him, didn't want him to slide out of her, not yet. She wanted to stayed connected a little while longer.

He seemed more than happy to appease her as his arms went to wrap around her waist and chest, holding her to him as he sat there. He didn't have to say a word as he hugged her close, his hands sliding over her back while he buried his face once more. But still he said "I love you" loud enough for her to hear.

This time there was no shock to make her hesitate, and she squeezed him tight. She hid her smile against him as she whispered "I love you, too." She knew he heard when he squeezed her back.

"You wanna go to sleep?" he asked, breaking into the peaceful silence after a few minutes.

She shrugged and then relaxed against him. "I just want to stay like this."

He chuckled. His hand passed through her hair, and she moaned at the comforting touch. "Me, too," he admitted. "But… you cool if I watch TV like this?"

She snorted. Kid couldn't sit still for long, not without something to occupy his mind. If they sat there like that, holding each other, without anything to distract him, he'd end up starting another round unless he was tired enough to sleep.

"I don't mind," she replied with a yawn.

Kid held her to his chest as he piled up the pillows in front of the headboard, and turned to sit against him. He arranged her to sprawl over him, hissing when she shifted and made his soft length slip further inside her again.

"This is gonna kill me, Kitten," he groaned, settling further down on the pillows. His hips rocked up, and she didn't restrain her moan as she rubbed her cheek against his chest.

"Don't wanna move," she said stubbornly.

"I don't want ya to move, either," he huffed, carefully holding her hips still as he reached over for the remote. "Just sayin'… it's gonna kill me."

All she could do was hum to acknowledge him. Her eyes were heavy and her mind still stuck in a pleasant fog. She was certain that she could sleep through the end of the world, she was so tired.

She heard his chuckle echo in his chest beneath her ear. His fingers glided up and down her back, trailing alongside her spine.

"Go to sleep, Kitten," he said softly.

She hummed again, and nuzzled into his chest. He was so comfortable like that. Big and firm, and so warm. His heartbeat thumped a steady rhythm, lulling her in their embrace. She felt the blankets brush over her bare skin as he tucked them in, and then his fingers combed through her hair. He took such good care of her.

He truly did love her.

She had never felt happier to be his.

* * *

_**A/N: **And now you guys know Kid's version of 'making love', pfft. He would never actually call it that, though._

_As I said, no more smut for this fic after this chapter. I don't think it needs more smut after that. And I'm sure this leaves some of you wondering how long until this is over. My best guesstimate would be somewhere around 10 chapters, maybe less. A lot of those chapters will be very short, just little blurbs of interaction. In about, two, or three chapters you'll understand why they'll be shorter._

_And thanks for the reviews last chapter. Look forward to your reactions to this one._


	32. Chapter 32

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

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_Holding to Happiness_

The last day of their trip, Kid let Nami drag him around to every store within a ten block radius of their hotel. The shopping trip wasn't as grudging as it normally would be. After the day at the beach and hearing that one word leave her lips, one word he had never dreamed she would say, an emotion he swore she couldn't possibly feel for him, he was flying high in the clouds. Nothing could bother him now that he knew she loved him. She could drag him straight to his death that day, and he wouldn't care one whit.

He was so disgustingly happy. If he had been told back when he met her, that this would be the end result, he'd probably have laughed until he couldn't breathe and kicked the ass of whoever dared make such a claim.

Over two years ago, he would have sworn that there was no way a woman like her could love him. To think otherwise would be setting himself up for ruin. He wouldn't have even thought it possible for him to love her as much as he did, but even that was more believable than her sharing those feelings. He wasn't lovable. No matter how big his ego was, even he knew there were plenty of men out there that would be better for her, that she could love without hesitation.

But she proved him wrong. She loved him. Beyond a shadow of a doubt. And he couldn't be any happier about that fact.

That last night, after dropping their newly bought things at the hotel and heading off to one last quiet dinner together, Nami insisted on taking a walk along the beach as the sun set. It was sappy and romantic, but he enjoyed the peace that now came so easily with her.

Her hand was warm in his, a comforting weight that seemed natural now. The first time he held her hand it had felt natural enough, but a part of him thought it awkward. He wasn't used to holding hands then. Now he was.

Her hair fluttered in the breeze off the coast, and he finally caught her citrus scent mingling with the salty smell of the sea. Like the sap he was becoming, he leaned over to press a kiss to her hair for no other reason than to smell the tangerines that always clung to her, seemed to ooze from her every pore. He also needed to hide his smile. No matter how much she loved seeing that smile because she _knew _what he was thinking in those moments, he still felt he had to keep those thoughts for himself.

Sprinkling her with tiny bits of affection had come to feel natural, too. He had never kissed a woman as much as he kissed her. He had never wanted to. But she had drawn him in like a magnet, made him think of nothing but the taste and touch of her skin until he thought he would go mad if he didn't have either.

He had tasted her skin once when he first met her. A fleeting nip to her ear, but even then he had been intoxicated with _her_ and the strong desire for more.

No matter how angry he had been with her by the end of that night, she remained seared in his memory. The feel of her, the taste of her, the sound of her laugh, the mischief in her eyes pulling him in like a siren call. Even her anger and resentment that had easily matched his own in those last minutes stirred up the desire to tame her all for himself. And the moment he saw her again, all of those turbulent, confused emotions he had been left with came rushing back until he finally settled on one. The one that made him want her above all others.

And now he had her. Unconditionally.

If he were honest with himself, he would admit that it _did_ terrify him.

But he wasn't honest, at least not about that. He just wanted to sink into the bliss of having her and ignore the fear of losing her that he had beat back into the dark recesses of his mind after hearing that she loved him.

When she made him stop so she could watch the sky turn a brilliant amber red, she leaned against his side. And then the red sky mixed with the growing night to give way to purple before the sun finally vanished over the horizon, and Nami tucked herself even closer as the chill night air made her shiver. With her weight sinking into him as they stood in the shifting sand, he wrapped his arms around her and silently held her up as she watched the last wisps of light be replaced by stars. He gave her the warmth she sought, more than happy to be the source of comfort he doubted anyone else thought to seek from him.

He wasn't even watching the damn sun or sky. Only her. Always her.

And when she noticed his gaze and smiled, he swore his heart was pounding in his throat, suffocating him with all the emotions he only felt with her… Until she pushed onto her toes to teasingly kiss beneath his chin with a look in her eyes that said she knew what feelings she inspired in him.

It took every ounce of restraint he had to stop himself from tackling her to the sand to have his way with her, all because of one peck. Love and lust were so finely woven together where she was concerned, it was a miracle he even let her lead him back to the hotel. He barely controlled himself in the elevator back up to their room. He either wanted the lift to go faster, or stop altogether so he could hike up her skirt and sink deep inside her right then and there. Of course he didn't get his way, not until they stepped into their room and he didn't waste another second bending her over the first surface they came to.

He was pretty sure it was the dresser. Or maybe it was the luggage rack.

Definitely wasn't the bed.

She always called him a pervert. Once she called him an insatiable, sex-obsessed maniac. He was, he wouldn't deny that, but with her those desires, those feelings in the past he enjoyed but could temper, had become raging needs he couldn't deny. Connecting with her, feeling her wrapped around him, could make the worst of days feel like a long forgotten nightmare. The euphoria he felt with her, that they shared in those moments when they were alone, was better than any drug, any sip of alcohol. He'd even dare to say it was better than any fight.

He could spend a whole day with her in bed, giving in to the intense rush of feeling and pleasure until they forgot the world outside those walls.

They fell asleep that night in a world that only contained their small hotel room and the two of them. His fingers ran through her silky hair, traced down her neck, over her shoulder, her spine, her waist. Every inch he could reach. Memorizing the feel of her peaceful in his arms where he always wanted her to belong. He let himself have those quiet, worry-free moments as he sank into dreams as pleasurable as their reality that day.

He tried not to think about the possessive urges clawing at his mind. Tried not to think about the world they would be returning to the next day. A world where he couldn't have her every second of every day. Where he would have to share her with friends and life and responsibilities.

A world he was still afraid of losing her to.

* * *

_**A/N: **I know it's short, but this chapter, with it's train of thought format, was best ended where it was. I figure this is the segue to the last section/arc/whatever you want to call it of this fic._


	33. Chapter 33

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_Calming a Raging Storm_

It took nearly a month before the drunk in love feeling began to wear off. He was no less in love with Nami, but with the return to reality, to their normal, often hectic lives, came the nagging doubts, the fear that she didn't love him as much as she claimed. He did his best to ignore those fears at first, to deny they even existed. He was Eustass Kid, after all, he didn't fear anything, let alone rejection from the woman he cared about most in the world.

But he was afraid. No matter his egotistical boasts, the arrogance he drove through life with, he had faced enough ridicule and rejection from the world to leave him with the knowledge that a man like him did not deserve a woman like her. He wasn't a good man, and even if Nami was far from a good woman, she would inevitably stop overlooking the darker parts of himself she had feared early on. She would find someone else, someone who might not be perfect, either, but whose imperfections didn't leave her anxious and afraid.

He refused to let that happen. He refused to lose her to anyone else. But he refused to let her fears come to pass. He refused to lose control of himself.

He had been determined to prove that he could be someone worthy of claiming her, and now he was determined to prove that he was someone worthy of _keeping_ her.

He tried not to let his possessiveness drive his behavior. He tried not to impose himself on every part of her life where a threat may appear to take her from him.

But he still showed up at her home every night after work, barging into her world without a care for her plans. She didn't seem to mind at first, and he did his best to let her study, or read, or watch one of her shows. He was content just taking up space, or sitting on the couch with her in his lap. As long as he existed in her world, as long as she was aware he was there, he was happy.

He thought it was working when she handed over a spare key after another month of that.

He took full advantage of the open invitation to come over whenever he pleased. After overnight shifts at the gambling hall, he'd creep into her home and slip into her bed in the quiet dawn hours. Sometimes he would wake her for some much needed attention, and sometimes he would let her sleep as he wrapped her up in his arm and caught a few hours of sleep before she had to get up to go to class.

It was after he finally finished rebuilding his bike that he felt his control slipping. Summer was nearing, and Nami was constantly busy with one project or another, and then there was a series of exams that left her pulling all-nighters and ignoring him more than he cared for. She spared him attention when he rode to her house, and he reveled in a moment of her excitement and pride. She let him take her for a ride to get dinner, and once more urged him to pursue mechanics, but when he got her home, she was back in her office toiling away on a weather sciences project and he was relegated to the corner.

At least he was until he got tired of being ignored and dragged her to bed to steal her attention for the rest of the night.

That had been a forgivable offense.

It wasn't entirely Nami's schedule that was putting strain on him. He had taken up extra hours at the gambling hall in an attempt to save up money. Nami's birthday was coming up, and after her thoughtful gift, he wanted to get her something she would love. He was also giving serious thought to returning to school, and if he did that, he would need some way to pay for it. Not to mention the fact he wouldn't be able to work such an erratic schedule, not unless he was willing to never see Nami until he was completely done with school. He needed to save what he could to maintain his house and life to the best of his abilities. The guys had offered to pay more in rent so he wouldn't have to worry too much about the mortgage, but he wouldn't put any more stress on them if he didn't have to.

Between her school schedule and his work schedule, it was a miracle if he caught a few minutes with her, so he had taken to dropping by the campus on nights she was studying at the library. They would have dinner and then he'd hang around, watching her study for an hour or two, and then he headed off to work.

It was those nights that had really begun to test his resolve to control his possessiveness and jealousy.

He wasn't an idiot. He knew a woman like Nami would be popular among her classmates, especially the men. But every time he walked into the library to find a handful of guys swarming her table, asking her stupid questions with the obvious intent of just getting her attention, he felt nothing but rage claw at his chest. He wanted to tear each and every one of them away from her. She was_ his_.

He quelled his temper as best he could, reminded himself that she loved him and only him. Those men were chumps. They meant nothing to her. But if she spared even one of them a friendly smile, those reasons became shadowed with doubt and he found his chest ache… Until he covered the fear with anger.

Some nights she noticed him before it got that far, and her beaming smile chased away the demons. Other nights he had to tower over the table, arms crossed, eyes set in a hard glare, and growl loudly to get their attention on him. Most of the men backed away quickly when he showed up with such a dark aura. Every so often one of them found the guts to stay in his seat beside Nami, leaning in closer than necessary as he pretended to look over her notes. He only held back from literally tearing those idiots away because Nami was there, watching him. When she would smile for him then, his shoulders relaxed, but he continued to glare at whoever was closest to her until she excused herself to have dinner with him.

If she casually mentioned that he was her boyfriend, then he forgot all his anger for the rest of the night and walked away, his arm around her, openly gloating.

And if he happened to come across the braver idiots without Nami around to stop him, he let out some of his buried rage.

He made sure to never leave a mark where Nami could see it in class, but any man who dared think they stood at chance at stealing her from him was met with a fist in the stomach or arm around the throat, and they learned to stay far away from her after that.

Nami didn't start getting annoyed until he cut into the little time she had to spend with her friends. He wanted her to spend that time with him. He understood her need to see them, though, but still he never failed to show up at Shakky's when he got done with work early and he knew she was there with her gang of friends. He tried his best not to drag her away, distracted himself by partying with the others for a few hours before finally carting her out on his shoulder to steal her for the rest of the night.

Her frustrations with him those nights were little more than cute huffs and fiery glares, easily dispelled once they were in bed.

He tried not to see her friends as a threat to him. If he did, they weren't threats he could handle like the guys on campus with her. He knew they liked him well enough, knew they were mostly supportive of their relationship. Even if the blond fawned over her more than Kid felt he should. Even if Roronoa still sent him the odd distrusting glare or two. Even if Luffy had a habit of wrapping himself around Nami as he pled for her to do something he wanted. Even if he still had Robin's remark of his unworthiness all those months before echoing at the back of his mind.

Her friends were the most important people in her life. He knew that. The rational side of his mind repeated it over and over again as he gnashed his teeth together while watching her hug Usopp or Luffy to her breast. When he overheard Luffy begging her to go to Dressrosa with him to visit a friend – and there was only person there that he could imagine Luffy being on good terms with – he bit his tongue to hold in his own adamant refusal for her to go. It was her life. If she wanted to go somewhere, she was free to do so. He couldn't boss her around.

Not unless he wanted to be just like the monster of her past.

Luckily she was just beginning a summer program at the University, so she couldn't go, and he tried to ignore the obvious disappointment in her apologetic smile.

Sixth months had passed since their trip to the beach without major incident, at least none that Nami knew of. Nami's schedule had lightened with the summer coursework, so they had more opportunity to see each other, even if it still wasn't as often as he liked. It at least eased the strain to his control. Her birthday loomed ahead of them, and only a few months after that, they would have been together for a whole year.

He wanted to think that it would become easier with time.

He refused to think about the possibility of another trip abroad taking her away from him in another year. No matter how optimistic she was about making the distance work, and how much he wanted to believe her, he wasn't sure how he would handle it.

But he wasn't thinking about that. He was only going to think of the next few months ahead of them.

The only person who had any idea what was going through his mind, was Killer. Even if Kid didn't say a word about his anxieties, Killer had known him long enough to recognize the shifts in Kid's mood and the underlying reasons for his thinned temper. He wasn't about to burden Nami with his fears, not when he thought they would only serve to drive her away, so he only opened up about them to his best friend.

Killer's composure and rational advice was probably the only reason he was still sane. It was definitely the only reason he had lasted all the way to the summer without screwing things up with Nami.

"Have you started making plans for her birthday?" Killer asked one day as they wandered around downtown, browsing the shops in search of a present for that very birthday. Nami was off for some short research trip that weekend, leaving him alone until Sunday, so Killer suggested they spend the time shopping. Kid knew he was hoping to distract him while keeping his thoughts on a positive goal.

It was only working because Nami had sent him a text that morning claiming to miss him, and even sent along a cute picture of herself with a wink and blown kiss. It was sweet and sappy, but he felt the tension of her distance leave him. She was off with her classmates, a few of which still conveniently forgot she was taken, but she was thinking about him.

He wondered if she suspected the fears that plagued him and sent it in an attempt to assuage them.

"Nah," he answered his friend as he glared into the window of a store with too many frills and flowers to willingly enter into. "Don't have a clue where to start. How the hell do I beat a weekend away?"

"It's not about outdoing her gesture, Kid," Killer lectured. "It's about doing something thoughtful for her."

"I know that, damn it. I just wanna do something more thoughtful than what she did for me," he huffed. "And I'm guessing handcuffing her to her bed and having my way with her won't do it."

"Not even close," Killer said with a sigh.

"Then I'm stumped on what to do," Kid grunted.

"You should know what she likes by now."

"She likes money, gold, and her tangerines," Kid said with a firm nod. He tilted his head back to frown at the sky, trying to think of anything else. "She likes her friends, and partying with them. I know her favorite wine. She loves shopping, and hiking, and sailing." He sighed and glanced at his friend. "I can't afford to take her shopping, even if she haggles the prices down."

"Take her sailing or hiking, then."

"I can't fit in a trip back to the coast with my schedule," Kid mused. "And if I get into the automotive program, I can't spare the cash on renting a boat."

"Then take her hiking. I can help you make her a picnic lunch."

Kid hissed. "A picnic? Fucking hell, that's a cliché gesture."

"So? It might work." Killer shrugged and led him along the sidewalk to another storefront. "You can turn it into a camping trip, and have her to yourself for a weekend, all alone in the woods."

Kid grinned at that suggestion. "Now that's more to my taste."

"Cheaper, too," Killer said, pointing into the window of the store they stopped at. "So you can put a little extra cash toward a gift."

Kid hummed in thought, staring into the store to see glass cases filled with jewelry. Glistening gems and the sheen of gold made his hands itch with greed, which meant Nami would practically be drooling if she was there.

"Jewelry, huh?" he mused. "Ain't that unoriginal?"

"You said it yourself, she likes gold. It's an easy gift, one you know she'll love without question." Killer didn't wait for him to say anything more as he went to the door and headed in. Kid followed after and immediately balked when he spotted his best friend looking through a case that appeared to mostly hold rings.

"No," he growled, and grabbed Killer by the collar to drag him away. "I might love her, but that ain't happening. Not yet, anyway."

"They weren't engagement rings, idiot," Killer said flatly.

"I don't care. She might think it is."

"Nami knows jewelry better than you. She would know the difference." Killer's lips pursed as a thought came to him. "Though she'd also know that you might not know the difference and wonder if you bought a casual ring with the intention of it being something else."

Kid sneered at his friend. He knew the damn difference, but he would rather be safe and not get something that might hold more meaning than he intended. She might get scared again and pull back from him.

He stood in the middle of the store, ignoring the watchful eyes of the employees, and glowered at all the cases while Killer went back to browsing. He wasn't going to waste his time looking at every single display. It'd only make it harder to decide on what to get Nami. He couldn't afford to get her anything grand, and as much as she loved jewelry, she wouldn't want him wasting too much money.

The rings were all a huge no for him. A necklace or bracelet was more suited for a birthday gift, but none of the ones with large gems. Even if Nami would like them, she tended to wear simpler pieces, so it was best to find something she could wear every day like her other trinkets. She had a pair of pearl earrings she wore most of the time, and there was the gold bangle her sister had given her. She had that necklace with a tangerine on it that she wore more frequently, along with a few others that had heart-like charms.

He turned to a case with bracelets in it, deciding to look for something that might go with her necklaces. Frowning at the simple, slender gold and platinum chains with small diamonds and emeralds in one case, he slid on to another. There he found a variety of bangles more elaborate than the one she wore. He stared at one that was made of yellow and rose gold, three strips of the precious metals woven and braided together. There was another with gold and silver that looped together in the middle, joined by hearts wrapping around each other. The majority of the bangles were decorated with sapphires and diamonds, and didn't look to suit her for every day.

He moved onto another case, and found himself staring at a display of charm bracelets. Gold and silver chains made of different sized links were lined up along the back of the case. In front of the chains were all types of charms. Religious and cultural symbols, hearts, locks and keys, animals, horseshoes, flowers; just about anything a person might like had a charm. He could get her a gold chain and a few charms, and in the future buy her more charms to add to the bracelet. He could constantly leave a new mark on her.

"A charm bracelet," he heard Killer muse as he slid up beside him. "Not a bad idea."

He silently agreed as he eyed a small golden cat charm.

"Oi," he called to one of the employees, pointing down at a gold chain with larger, chunky links. "I want to see this one."

With the impatient growl in his tone, one of the women rushed to open the case for him to inspect the bracelet closer. It took him a whole of five minutes to pick the chain and four charms he thought fit Nami best. The bracelet wasn't too expensive, and he felt Nami would love it more than any of the other bracelets fitted with tons of gemstones that cost three times more.

It was simple, but still cute and pretty, and she could easily wear it all the time. That was his favorite part of the gift. He wanted her to have something from him that she would never take off.

He walked out of the store with his fears quieted as he looked forward to seeing her reaction to the new bracelet. He sent her a text message, unable to himself, and teased her with the knowledge that he bought her a present that day. She responded a few minutes later pleading for him to give her a hint. When he refused, she responded with a cute pouty face emoticon that made him chuckle to himself, even as he wished she were there in front of him so he could see her wear the same expression.

She would be back on Sunday, and then in a few weeks he could give her the bracelet at the party her friends were throwing for her.

If only he could hold himself together for that long.

* * *

**_A/N: _**_*whistles innocently*_

_So yes, I did a short time skip. There will be more time skips to come, too. As I said, the last ten or so chapters are gonna be short, and mostly filled with internal monologue type stuff, while interactions are going to be sparse but hopefully with a lot of meaning. And while that last sentence looks horribly ominous - just remember, I love happy endings. That's all ya need to know._


	34. Chapter 34

_Warning: Kid gets violent in this chapter and things get problematic again._

_Just trust that I know what I'm doing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_Breaking Point_

To say he had a bad day was an understatement. A bad day would be waking up at dawn without Nami there to make it worth his while. A bad day would be his bike not starting. A bad day would be having to see Apoo's ugly face for more than five seconds without being allowed to punch it. No, this was a shitty day that he let turn into one of the worst days of his life.

But it was a day he would walk away from with more clarity and resolve than he ever had before.

That afternoon he woke up in his own bed, cold and alone. Nami had to pick up her friends from the airport in the middle of the night and said she would come over afterward if she had the time. She never did.

When he dragged himself out of bed, he checked his messages to see a short text from her at four in the morning. Apparently Zoro got lost in the airport.

The last few weeks had been like that. They kept passing each other by, never able to find more than a minute to be together. It was one thing after another that kept them apart, and Kid swore Nami's schedule and friends were mostly to blame. Sure, his work hours didn't help, but he would always find the time to spare for her, while she seemed to have other priorities. It was starting to piss him off, but he kept reminding himself that her birthday was in a week, and then they would be going away for another weekend alone. If he happened to forget that fact while ranting about his absent girlfriend, Killer helpfully reminded him with an exasperated sigh.

He knew he couldn't do a damn thing about it, but he wished he could. Her friends and school were too important to her. He knew she'd never forgive him if he got in the way of either. But he wanted to, more and more with every excuse she gave for why she couldn't see him. He found his mind filled with irrational thoughts, a desire to drag Nami to his room and chain her up there forever, but he fought against them, knowing he'd only lose her forever if he let that possessiveness out.

Most days he knew better, and he went into that day thinking he had fought back his anger and possessiveness like he always did. He sent Nami a text telling her that he would come by her place when he got done with work, and tried not to let it get to him when she didn't text him back. If she was out until four in the morning searching for Zoro, she was probably asleep. Or still looking for the directionless fool.

His shift that night was supposed to be a longer one, he wouldn't be done until noon the next day. He'd be exhausted, but he looked forward to curling up in Nami's bed for a nap afterward, and then hopefully she'd be home for him to spend some time with when he woke up. He only had to pull these hours for a few more months, and then he would have enough money hoarded away for the automotive program. He hadn't told Nami yet that that was why he was working so much. He wanted to surprise her with the news once he officially got accepted and could quit his security job. It was a difficult secret to keep, but he would, all so he could see her face light up with pride and excitement.

That image was what usually kept his demons at bay.

That night started out normal enough. He showed up to work, sat around in the security office watching the monitors while chatting with a coworker, wandered the floor looking for suspicious characters, and beat the shit out of one such character when he caught him cheating at blackjack. That happened most every night he worked. The casino was in the back alleys on the cusp of Big Mom's mafia territory, so their regulars were criminals or former criminals, and all well versed in taking advantage of the odds whenever they could.

The night went to shit when his boss called him into his office and he found the cheating punk sitting there with the smuggest look on his face that just begged Kid to completely destroy the already twisted mess he had left the guy's nose. Kid could guess the asshole sitting next to him was why he looked so cocky.

Capone Bege, a mobster working under Big Mom's wing, sat there puffing at the most noxious cigar Kid had ever smelled, and dressed in a designer pin stripe suit. He wore a flat scowl that deepened when his gaze swept to Kid as he stood in the door.

Kid growled. The rat went running home to his mama, and that meant trouble was about to come down on the casino. Or at least come down on him.

"Kid," his boss said sharply without a word of warning, "you're fired."

He wanted to murder someone, it was only a question of who in the room he wanted to kill most. He might have to settle for all of them.

"What?" he asked, a low snarl in his tone as he stared flatly at his boss. The man was smoking one of Capone's shitty cigars. Apparently they had been acting chummy before Kid got there. Kid wanted to snuff that damn thing out in the bastard's eye.

"You struck one of Big Mom's sons," his boss replied, waving at the men across from his desk.

"So? Mom should teach her brats some manners, or teach 'em not to cheat. If she ain't gonna do that, then someone else will," he argued, glaring at the rat. "Wipe off that smug look before I do it for you."

"I don't need Big Mom coming down on this casino," his boss said with a dismissive wave. "If I fire you, it's enough to appease her this time."

He stopped thinking after that. Whatever tacit control he had snapped as his lips twisted into an angry grin and he cracked his knuckles at his sides. The rat's smug look wavered at the grin he wore.

"Well, since I ain't working for your dumb ass anymore, then there's nothing to stop me from giving this punk a better beating," he snarled.

"Kid, don't," his former boss called out as he jumped up, but it was too late.

Kid lunged at the idiot who went and got him fired. He only needed a couple of months and then he'd be out of there on his terms. Well, if he was going to be forced out, then he was going to change his terms and leave with as much blood on his hands as he could.

Capone tried to stand in his way, but the short, stocky man was easily shoved out of his warpath. There was no one to stop him from slamming his fist into the prick's face as he tackled him out of his chair. He lost himself to his rage then and everything moved fast. There were shouts in the hall as his knuckles grew sore with every strike. He couldn't even feel it when the punk struck back, though he probably should have. All he knew was that the more he hit the guy, the more his own jaw and chest began to ache.

Men tried to drag him off at one point. He vaguely noticed they were some of the other guards, but he shoved them away, punched at least two of them that he could remember. He didn't come back to his senses, or something close, until he heard the sound of guns being armed at his back. The pure instinct to survive is what made him move then. His victim was nearly unconscious, his face swollen and bruised and bloody. He was in no state to fight back as Kid grabbed him around the neck and spun to put the man between him and the rifles Capone's men had trained on him.

He drew his own gun, more than happy to put a bullet in any one of their heads, while his hold tightened around his hostage's neck.

"I'll snap his neck before any one of you can shoot me," he warned. He noticed his boss cowering behind his desk, the chickenshit unwilling to get involved in the standoff. The other guards were scattered around the room, their guns wavering between himself and the mobsters, uncertain where their loyalties should lie. Capone stood to the side, frowning as he prodded a dark bruise beneath his eye.

The mob boss sighed, a mixture of annoyance and exhaustion in the sound. "Stand down," he ordered his men before shooting Kid a hard warning. "Release the boy and leave. We'll deal with you another day rather than make this more of a mess than it has to be."

Kid watched Capone's men uncertainly lower their rifles. He knew he couldn't trust them to keep them that way, and they barred his only exit, so he waved for them to step toward their boss. Once they were clear, he edged toward the door, glancing from the corner of his eye at the casino manager.

"Send me my last check, or I'll be showing up to cause more trouble. Got it?" he growled. The man nodded just as Kid got to the door. With a hiss of annoyance and his temper hardly sated, Kid shoved the rat toward Capone's men, giving him an extra hard kick in the ass to see he went crashing to the ground. He pointed at the mobster in warning. "Come after me, and I'll slaughter the lot of you."

Capone's scowl pursed, and Kid knew he would have to watch his back for a while, but he doubted the guy would do much to him. He wasn't a big enough threat, after all.

Kid spun away with a wave to the guards. "See ya around, losers."

With that, he stormed out of the building, holstering his gun only when he got to his bike. He didn't trust a single one of them to keep their word, but that night they left him be. That was good. His mood was dark enough. He might very well kill a few of them.

He was so close to having what he needed, but now he would have to change all of his plans. He didn't want to think about that, though. He could figure it out later. He needed to relieve the stress that remained even after pounding that bastard's face. He thought to go home, get a few punches out on his bag, maybe grab Killer to spar and beat the rest of his anger out. But he didn't want to go home. If he went home, Killer would get him talking about what happened and what he needed to do to keep his plans on track, and he just wasn't ready to deal with it.

If he couldn't go home, there was only one other place he wanted to be, one other person who would make him feel better.

He started his bike and tore off in the direction of Nami's place. The love of a good woman was all he needed to make his night better.

Too bad that woman wasn't home when he got there.

"Nami!" he called out as he flipped on the lights in the kitchen after coming in through the back. He knew she wasn't asleep, it was too early, barely after nightfall. He growled at the empty living room and stomped up to her office and bedroom to see that she really wasn't home. Just when he needed her most, she wasn't there. That made him angry all over again.

He pulled out his phone as he went back downstairs, aiming for the kitchen to get a pack of ice for his face. His jaw was starting to throb, and he could feel his cheek swelling. The bastard got more hits in than he thought.

He called Nami as he dumped a tray of ice cubes onto a towel and tried to quell his temper with every second she didn't answer. For a brief moment he thought to worry. What if Capone or Big Mom went after her because of him? The fear that rose in him only further fueled his anger. If they touched his girl, they were dead. There wouldn't even be anything left to identify their bodies when he was done with them.

But then Nami picked up, distracted with laughter that mixed with a raucous party in the background.

"Kid?" Nami asked, her happy tone relaxing the tension in his shoulders. She was okay. That was good. "What's up?"

He shook away his worries and pressed the ice to his cheek. "Where are you?" he asked. He didn't want to answer her question, didn't need to.

"I'm out with Luffy and the guys," she answered easily. "Ah!" she called out, and then her voice became distance as she hollered at her friend. "Luffy! Get off of that!" There was a huge crash in the background, and Kid easily recognized Luffy's laughter carrying over the rest of the party. "Idiot! You almost broke it!"

Kid growled. He didn't like being ignored, especially not by her. "Nami," he snapped, "come home. Now."

"Wait… What?" she asked in obvious confusion as her attention returned to the call.

"Come home," he repeated, a growl lacing his tone.

"I'm with my friends, Kid," she snapped back, her temper thinning. "I haven't seen them in weeks."

"And you've hardly seen me in weeks," he muttered before snarling, "Just come home."

"I'll come home when I'm done," she huffed. "And aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"I left early," he answered quickly. "I want to see you."

She groaned and he imagined she was rubbing her eyes. She hadn't realized how bad his mood was if she was arguing him on this, though even if his mood wasn't this bad, she should want to come see him, no matter what.

"I'll be there as soon as I –"

"No. _Now_. You come home now, or I'll show up wherever you are and drag you back here myself."

"Kid!" she reprimanded sharply. "You will do no such thing!"

"You wanna bet?" he growled. She could think he was bluffing, but he would absolutely find her, wherever she was in the city, and bring her back whether she liked it or not. "Just get your ass home. If you ain't here in an hour, then I'm coming to get you."

"Kid!" she began to yell again, but he hung up before she could say more. He didn't want to get into a fight with her. He just wanted her there. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and forget the crappy night he had at work, have her kiss his bruises and make him feel better. Maybe once he was calm he could think about what he needed to do, but for that night he just wanted to pretend that everything was fine, or at least close to fine.

He just needed his girlfriend, and he didn't care what he had to do to get his way.

* * *

Nami pulled up to her house and frowned at Kid's bike parked outside the garage in the back. She knew he was in a bad mood, though she couldn't even begin to guess why. Knowing that, she still wasn't happy with his orders, not when it was interrupting her time with her friends. Those friends nearly came with her to continue the party at her place, but she deterred them with a little help from Robin. Kid obviously was not in the mood to party or entertain her friends, it would only make his volatile mood worse.

Nearly an hour after he called, she entered into her kitchen and could hear the television on in the living room.

"Kid!" she called out, and the TV immediately shut off.

"It's about fucking time!" her boyfriend called out as he stomped to the kitchen, his mood still sour.

When she saw the bruises on his face and the split lip he wore, she immediately forgot her annoyance as she realized where his mood stemmed from.

"What happened?" she asked in surprise as she dropped her purse on the counter and rushed toward him to grab his face. "Did this happen at work?"

"Yeah," he grunted, his jaw flexing as he ground his teeth. "Don't want to talk about it."

She didn't have a chance to press him for information. Kid took her hands in his and slammed his lips to hers in an angry, frustrated kiss.

"Kid," she tried to say as she pulled back a step. He followed and silenced her with another hard kiss, his hands tight around her wrists as she tried to pull away from him. Something was very wrong with his mood. "Kid…" she tried again when she managed to catch a breath.

Kid used his grip on her wrists to yank her into him as he backed her up. His lips captured hers again when her back hit the countertop by the door.

"Just shut up," he growled against her lips.

Her annoyance came back at that order and she wrested from his grip to slam her hands against his chest, shoving him away.

"Kid! Tell me what happened!" she shouted.

"I got into a fight, damn it! What the hell else do you think happened!?" he hollered back as he grabbed for her again. "Don't you dare fucking lecture me for it, either."

"I'm not going to lecture you!" She swatted at his hands as they went to grasp her hair. "I just want to know why you're in this mood."

"I'm in this mood because my fucking girlfriend is never around when I need her," he growled. His fingers managed to wind in her hair and he went in for another kiss. She turned her head and shoved at him again, earning another growl from him.

"What do you mean I'm never around!? I'm here right now!"

"Yeah, but you didn't want to be," he snarled as he satisfied himself with her neck. "You always pick your fucking school or your friends over me."

"I do not!"

He pulled away to level her with a disbelieving look. "You were going to tonight. Your boyfriend wants to see you, and you'd rather be out with those guys."

"I told you, I haven't…"

"So the fuck what! You've barely seen me for more than minute most nights!"

"You came by the library the other day when I was studying!" she argued.

"Yeah, and watched a bunch of guys drool over you while you ignored me! You'd think those fuckers would have figured out you were mine by now. But if I tell you I want to see you, then I expect you to want to see me, too!"

"I can't just drop everything to come running to you, Kid! That isn't how this works!"

"Well it should!"

She gasped and smacked his chest. "What in the world has come over you, Kid? You can't possibly mean that!"

"Damn right, I mean it," he growled, grabbing at her wrists again. "I'm your fucking boyfriend, Nami. I ought to come first. No matter what you're doing, you should always be choosing me. Like tonight, you should have come straight home because I wanted you, not bitch at me about it."

"Kid, that is the most immature, selfish thing you can say. I can't choose between you and my friends!"

"Why the fuck not!? It's not like it's that hard a choice! Or is there another reason you'd rather be with them over me?"

Her jaw dropped at the insinuation. "You don't think… Kid, they're just my friends! What is wrong with you tonight to even think that!?"

"I don't know what to think when my girl would rather be screwing around with some idiots than be with me!"

"Don't call my friends idiots!" She began to struggle again, but Kid's grip held tight and he pinned her wrists to the edge of the counter. "Let go of me, Kid."

"No," he growled and leaned forward to nip her ear. "And I'm done arguing about this. I didn't want you here to get into a damn fight."

"No, Kid, you just told me to choose between you and my friends, I'm not just going to let you drop it!"

"Damn it, Nami," he shouted before slamming his lips to hers, ignoring her struggles. His hands squeezed her wrists tighter when she fought against him. She didn't like this. She had no control, and Kid was… she didn't know what was going through his head, but it scared her.

"Kid," she gasped. "Stop it."

Kid only growled in response and nipped at her lips. She whimpered in fear as her wrists grew sore. Either Kid didn't hear the pained sound she let out, or he thought it was something else. His lips tried to force her to kiss him back, growling when she pursed them tight together and shoved at him as best she could. All he did was move to bite and suck at her neck.

"Stop," she whined timidly, "you're hurting me."

That was when Kid froze, his face buried against her neck. His hot breath washed over her skin as he stood completely still. Only his hands squeezed her wrists until she whimpered again.

"Please," she whispered between gasps for air. "Let go of me."

The next second his hands were off her, held up as he took a step back from her. The anger was finally gone, replaced with surprise as he watched her shakily rub at her wrists.

"Nami… I…" he began, but she shook her head to silence him.

She had to lean against the counter as her fear made her legs tremble. "I don't know what's going on with you tonight, but this is really scaring me, Kid." He opened his mouth to speak, but she went on before he could. "I think you should leave."

She watched as hurt flashed through his eyes. They fell to her wrists, and he reached out to take them, a gentler touch in the intent, but she pulled away. "Don't," she warned. "Go home and calm down, Kid."

His gaze was stuck on her wrists, staring at the red marks blossoming on her skin in the shape of his fingers. The hurt morphed into a terse frown and his hands balled into fists at his side. He was angry again, his whole frame tense, and she didn't know what to expect him to do in his fragile state of mind.

When he moved forward, she braced herself for him to grab her again. Instead he moved past her, to the back door. He yanked open the door without a word, without even a fleeting glance her way, and stormed out, slamming the door shut so hard she jumped as a glass beside the sink fell on its side and rolled off the counter to shatter on the floor. She couldn't relax until she heard his motorcycle roar to life before he peeled away from her house, away from her.

As the sound of his engine grew faint and the night became still, Nami slowly lowered herself to the floor. She allowed herself to take a deep gasp of air as the fear she had felt turned into a panic unlike the rest.

In her gut, she knew nothing would be the same after that night.

And she was terrified.

* * *

_**A/N:** Trust me! I know what I'm doing, okay! Yes, the next few chapters are going to be painful, but honestly this fic was going to end a lot worse than what I plan to do now. Just keep in mind that I love happy endings like the sap I am. Possessiveness was the biggest issue between them from the start (per the title), and it was going to blow up eventually. It needs to if there's going to be any chance of addressing it._

_Also, the last stretch of this fic is basically inspired by "In The End" by Shaman's Harvest. Very much a type of song Kid would write in my opinion, lol. If you need a lift, just focus on the last part of the song and the emotions it inspires, because there is a chapter to come that has imagery really drawn from how it makes me feel, and it's a good feeling. Seriously, just trust me and suffer for a while. Hopefully it'll be worth it in the end._


	35. Chapter 35

_I'm just going to apologize now. And remind you that I love happy endings. So just trust me on this._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_In The End_

Kid wasn't the type of man to ever find himself lost. But after the blow up with Nami, he had never felt more lost in his life, and he had no idea how to find his way out.

The fight wasn't just a setback in his relationship with her. It wasn't like the chaos surrounding how they finally got together. It wasn't like the first real fight they had. He had broken a promise, shattered it entirely. A promise he made to himself at the same time he made it to her.

He hurt her, scared her. He let his anger get the best of him and dictate how he treated the woman he swore he loved. If she hadn't started whimpering, hadn't told him that she was in pain, he might not have stopped himself, and what that anger could have led him to do truly terrified him. He couldn't take back what happened, he couldn't find any excuse to make it better. He had to fix the mess he had made of his life, but he had no idea where to start.

He feared there was no way to fix what he had just broken. And worse yet, he was beginning to think he didn't deserve a chance to find out if he could.

He had gone straight home after Nami kicked him out. He didn't pay his friends any mind as he stormed in, his temper too on edge to risk talking to them. He was angry at himself, not them, but he just saw how easily he could turn that rage onto the people he cared about. If he could hurt Nami in his mood, there was no telling what he might do to his best friends. He locked himself in the basement without a word and turned his stereo up until he was sure the whole house shook. He needed to filter out everything outside of himself and drown out the ensuing maelstrom of emotion he unleashed when he couldn't hold it in any longer.

His friends wisely avoided him until the next day when Killer let himself in and picked his way through the remains of the basement and bedroom. Kid was in bed by then, but far from sleeping as he wracked his brain for some way to make it right with Nami, while still thinking he didn't deserve to. His stereo and bed were all that remained intact down there, only because one gave him somewhere to lay once he wore himself out destroying everything else, and the other soothed his tattered emotions and gave him some sense of focus.

Killer brought breakfast with him, but Kid didn't want to touch it and buried himself under his sheets with a growl, telling his best friend to leave him alone. Of course Killer didn't listen, but that was why he was his best friend. The blond set the plate on the first clean surface he could find, shut off the stereo, and took a seat on the bed beside him. He said nothing. Didn't push for him to explain what happened, merely sat and waited for Kid to gather himself together.

His anger turned into a pain that bound his chest like a steel clamp, squeezing and squeezing until he couldn't breathe. He didn't want to lose Nami, but he knew he would. He knew he _had _to.

"I got fired," he said flatly after fifteen minutes of patient silence. Killer hummed, giving away no judgement or reprimand in the sound. "I went to Nami's after," he went on, gripping tight to the pillow he had been curled around for the last three hours after his rampage left him exhausted. It was Nami's pillow. "She's going to break up with me."

"Because you got fired?" Killer asked, shifting on the bed. Kid didn't have to look to know his friend had a brow raised, confused and in disbelief.

"Because I hurt her," Kid admitted quietly. "I got angry. She wasn't there. _Again_. My temper was thin from the casino, and I just lost it with her once she got home."

"What did you do to her exactly?" Killer asked, his voice dark with an unspoken threat. That was good. Kid didn't want his friend to side with him on this. He deserved whatever beating he got for it.

"I just wanted to hold her, get in bed, and forget the damn night. But I was angry and she was… I don't know… I guess she was worried about what happened…" He sighed and pushed off the sheet as he rolled to his back. He speared his fingers through his hair and shut his eyes as he remembered the fear in her expression when he finally let go. "I didn't want to talk, I just wanted to be with her. We argued. I grabbed her. Harder than I thought. She got scared. I held tighter. Her wrists are probably bruised. I stopped when I realized what I was doing. But… If she hadn't said anything, or if I hadn't listened…." He groaned. "I don't know what would have happened. I didn't want to hurt her. I just wanted to be with her, and I didn't give a shit what she wanted."

Killer sighed. Silence overtook the room again, tense and foreboding. His friend was thinking, and Kid hoped he had some sort of sage advice to give him before he beat the shit out of his worthless ass.

"Fuck, I told her she had to pick between me and her friends, and that it had better be me," Kid said as he felt his anger boiling beneath the surface again. "The fucking people she owes her whole life to. I told her that I had to come before them."

"You're in too deep," Killer said, a defeated sigh lacing his voice this time. "You're feeling too much. And you don't trust her."

"Of course I trust her," Kid shouted, glaring at his friend.

"If you trusted her, you wouldn't be feeling this level of rage in your jealousy and possessiveness. You'd be able to let her go when she needs it, give her the freedom she deserves. You're still insecure in her feelings for you." Killer's words came out hard, straight to the point, like a swift punch to his gut that took the wind from his lungs. "You went into this relationship by forcing your way, without regard for how Nami really felt, and you knew it. You chose her. She didn't choose you, at least not on her own terms. You've been afraid that eventually she'll see her mistake and find someone else who doesn't push at her walls and emotions the way you did."

Kid released a shuddering breath.

"I can't fix this," he said quietly. He felt his world crumbling around him with that single statement.

Killer sighed again. "Not easily, or quickly."

"Not at all," Kid bit out. "Don't try to give me false hope. I know what I did. I know how I screwed up. She's going to leave me, for good, and I have no right to force her back to me. I broke my promise and hurt her. She deserves better."

"She deserves a choice," Killer said.

Kid stared at his friend with the sharp response. A choice? What choice? There was no choice, only to leave him. He had already tried to make her choose between people she shouldn't have to choose between. Just demanding that of her meant he didn't deserve to be the one she chose. Not now. Not ever.

"You love her, yes?" Killer asked, prompting Kid to think hard about where he was going.

"Yes."

"You'd do anything to have her as yours? Forever?"

"Of course, but there isn't-"

"Let her go," Killer interrupted.

Kid's eyes widened. Those words were another sharp punch to his chest, taking the breath from him as he began to realize what Killer was saying.

"It might not work, and as far as I'm concerned, it shouldn't, not after the hell you've put her through. But if you truly love her, then you have to let her go. And if she loves you, without question, without hesitation, and is free to choose for herself…" Killer trailed off to shrug. "If she comes back to you of her own free will, she'll be yours forever. If she doesn't, then there was no hope from the start, but at least you gave her a chance to find happiness elsewhere. And I know you only want her to be happy."

Another ragged breath escaped his lungs, and Kid rolled to his side to wrap around her pillow. He buried his nose in the material and inhaled what was left of her scent.

"Leave me alone," he muttered.

Killer stood from the bed without argument, only sparing him a consoling pat on his shoulder. A minute later the stereo was back on, drowning out the soft click of the basement door.

Kid wasn't lost anymore. He had a clear path ahead of him.

But he was terrified of taking that first step.

* * *

She could feel the tension in her house, growing with each passing day. Her friends refused to leave her alone, some came and went, others camped out in the living room, all of them walked on egg shells.

Robin came over sometime after Kid had left. Nami was still in shock over what had happened. She had no idea what to think, her mind had shut down as she stared at her wrists and watched the red marks fade into faint yellow bruises. She was still sitting on the floor when Robin knocked on the backdoor and let herself in. Apparently she was worried. She had heard parts of the earlier phone call, knew Kid was in a bad mood and Nami was going home to appease him. But when she drove by and didn't see any sign of his bike, she decided to check.

Nami was relieved when Robin showed up, though she didn't show it immediately. Robin barely said more than her name, surprised to find her on the floor with dried tears staining her face. Nami didn't notice her until her arms encircled her and held her tight. She began to sob again with her friend's comfort.

If Robin was angry at Kid for leaving Nami the way he did, she didn't show it. She was cool, calm, perfectly collected. Exactly what Nami needed as her emotions overcame her again. They sat on the floor until Nami's tears dried once more, while Robin ran a soothing hand through her hair and over her back, humming quietly to comfort her.

Once she had calmed, Robin left her to find a box of tissues. She returned with a cold washcloth, along with the Kleenex. Nami blew her nose while her friend helped clean the salt staining her cheeks. The cloth was cool and refreshing, and Nami took it to press to her eyes, easing the ache and swelling from her tears. It took a few shaky breaths before she was able to explain what had happened, and once she did, she nearly began to cry again.

Robin still didn't voice any anger, didn't say any harsh judgments for Kid's behavior. Her friend merely helped her up and took her to bed. She disappeared for a while as Nami changed, the task taking more effort as her body felt heavy and numb, a mixture of her exhaustion and turmoil. Robin returned with a plate of sliced tangerines and a cup of chamomile tea, then slid into bed with Nami, promising to stay the night so she wouldn't be alone.

That had been nice. Nami didn't want to be alone. If she was alone for too long, then she would start thinking about what had happened, and that only made her want to cry all over again. She knew she was going to have to make some decisions. Kid had lost his temper with her, hurt and scared her, and she couldn't let him get away with that kind of behavior. But she didn't know what to do.

Or maybe she was too scared to do what needed to be done.

The next morning, Nami woke to an empty bed and the smell of breakfast wafting up from her kitchen. Robin sat at the dining room table, sipping a cup of coffee. Sanji was at the stove with a terse frown until he saw her walk in. He tried to smile for her, but she could see the strain. Robin had told him, and he was obviously angry, but he would see to her before dealing with Kid.

A few minutes later, the door burst open with a happy shout to announce Luffy and the others. She managed a quiet laugh when they carted in bags of movies and games and liquor. Luffy didn't seem particularly angry, he was too determined to cheer her up. Zoro was as stoic as ever, but she knew he was worried when he gave her a gentle pat on the head as he headed into the kitchen to unload the bag with her wine. Usopp looked solemn, but like Sanji, he tried to smile for her and proclaimed that they would have her laughing by the end of the night. Franky didn't hide his disappointment in the whole ordeal. Nami didn't need the large man wrapping her up in a hug and bursting into angry tears, but she let him have his outburst.

At first she thought it was a great idea to spend the day with her friends. Part of her wanted to be left in solitude, but a bigger part of her wanted to pretend everything was fine. With her friends there, doing everything in their power to make her happy, she thought she might get beyond the worst of her emotions, and then she could look at the situation with a clear, rational mind.

She thought it might work as she enjoyed Sanji's delicious breakfast with her friends. She laughed as Luffy stole off everyone's plate, smacked him upside the head when he tried to take her last tangerine slice, broke up an argument between Zoro and Sanji, and chatted with Robin about a research assignment. It was all so perfectly normal, just the way she wanted things. Then they moved to the living room to spend the afternoon watching movies. Comedy and action were the two main genres they focused on. Nami refused to watch a horror movie, even if Robin said it was a good one. And she didn't think anything romantic would help get her mind off Kid. At first the movies were enough, but eventually Nami found her mind drifting to the night before. It didn't help that one of the movies Franky picked was one she and Kid actually liked watching together. A half an hour into that one, she excused herself, went upstairs, and didn't come down again for the rest of the night.

She curled up in her bed with the angry red dog Kid had won for her and cried by herself until Robin came upstairs. The guys were playing a game downstairs. She could tell they were trying to be quiet as she listened to them shush each other every time one of them grew too loud. Robin asked if she wanted to join, and when she refused, the older woman grabbed a book and slipped into bed with her. She fell asleep on Robin's lap while her friend played with her hair.

She didn't leave her room at all the day after that. Sanji brought her breakfast in bed, complete with a flower from Robin's garden and a flourishing promise to wait on her hand and foot for as long as she desired. Franky left to see to his work for a few hours. Robin brought over her laptop and a stack of papers that needed to be graded, and worked in Nami's office. Zoro came up while Nami was trying to read a book, silently sat down on the floor, and proceeded to take a nap next to her bed. Usopp and Luffy ran back to the other house to gather more supplies, and when they returned, Nami's bed was covered in books and art supplies, and they had the small television she had left behind when she moved out of the house. They perched it on her dresser and Luffy crawled into bed beside her as he flipped through the channels until he found some stupid show that made him laugh.

When she fell asleep that night, Robin was in bed with her, and all her friends had drifted back down to the living room to sleep where they could. Nami still didn't feel any better, but she was glad for the company.

Though she was starting to wonder when she would hear from Kid. With two whole days passed and not a word from him, she almost thought to worry. He was in bad shape when he left. Angry and irrational. That wasn't a good state to be in while riding a motorcycle. But Killer likely would have called if something happened to him, so Nami at least knew Kid was safe. When she realized that, she felt relief for a quick moment before it turned to worry of another kind.

If Kid was okay, why hadn't he called her?

Knowing him, she was certain that he would try to reach out as quickly as possible. She expected him to call with an apology, or show up at her door with demands for another chance before she could even think about ending things.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to break up with him. He had hurt her, but he wasn't in a normal state of mind. Something was wrong, something had been bothering him. She wanted to talk to him, to understand what had pushed him that far, but she was afraid to call him herself. She was confused on what to do. She didn't want to lose him. But she didn't want to see him, either, at least not yet.

She had thought that everything was fine between them. Sure, their lives were hectic and they hadn't had much chance to spend quality time together, but that was going to change with her birthday. Kid had something planned for them, and they would have a chance to be together without anyone else around. She had been looking forward to it, especially thinking about the last time they went away together. Now she had no idea if those plans would happen, she just knew that things were going to change between them after this fight.

For so long she had been thinking of an inevitable end to their relationship. She had never thought it would last. But now that she was on the brink of its possible collapse, she found herself too scared to think of what might come out on the other side. She didn't want to think of a life without Kid in it. He had ingrained himself too much in her world for her to let go. She didn't want to let go.

She didn't know what to do.

"Nami," Luffy said near the end of the third day, her best friend standing in the bedroom door with a somber frown and worry etched in his eyes.

She was still in bed, clinging tight to her stuffed dog. She wasn't crying anymore, just staring at a picture of her and Kid together that sat on her nightstand. She had more on her dresser, mixed with all the photos of her friends and family. There was another in her office, three more on the fridge. He was everywhere in her house. Even the pillow he typically used still smelled like him, not letting her escape him, even in her sleep.

"What is it, Luffy?" Nami asked, her voice hollow and distant.

He didn't answer immediately. His frown tightened a moment, and then he trudged into her room to climb into bed beside her. He sat down with his back to the headboard and crossed his arms over his chest, directing his frown at the wall straight ahead.

"You're still not happy," he finally said. "Am I going to have to beat up Kid to make you happy?"

Nami sighed. Leave it to Luffy to decide that was the only way to fix things for her. "No, that won't make me happy at all."

Luffy huffed. "That's what Usopp said, but nothing else is working."

"We just need some time and space," Nami said through the lump forming in her throat. "Then we can talk and figure out what to do."

"How much time?"

Nami sighed. "I don't know."

Luffy glowered at her, displeased with that answer. The annoyance passed quickly as he watched her bury her face in Boss; his frown turned thoughtful. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Do you know what you're going to do?"

"Not really."

Luffy grunted and then hummed in thought. "He hurt you."

"He did."

"Did he mean to?"

"No. He'd never hurt me intentionally."

Luffy hummed again. "Are you going to forgive him?"

Nami wasn't sure how to answer that. She wanted to, but she knew she shouldn't, at least not easily. She wanted to believe that he'd never do that again, but Kid was always unpredictable where his temper was concerned, she had worried about it from the start. There was a chance he would do it again if he ever let his anger and possessiveness get the best of him.

She knew he loved her, more than she ever imagined he could. That love might not be enough to come out of this whole… Or maybe it was that love that got them into this mess to begin with. With his jealousy, his love wasn't very healthy for either of them.

But she still wanted to believe the best in him. He had come such a long way over the last year, and so had she. They had come so far, grown so close. She wanted to give him another chance, but…

She curled around her dog with a quiet whimper when she only became more confused and uncertain.

"Nami…" Luffy said, sounding pained and sad, all for her. His hand fell atop her head and she whimpered again as he stroked his fingers through her hair. Before she knew it, his arm was around her shoulders and he had dragged her against his side to hug her. "It'll be okay, Nami."

She fought back her tears as best she could, but failed in the end and buried her face against Luffy's shoulder. He sighed and ran his hand through her hair, letting the room drift into silence only punctuated by her sobs. When she calmed down, he pressed his cheek to the top of her head and took a deep breath.

"Do you love him?" he asked quietly.

She nodded.

"And does he love you?"

She choked back another sob, and nodded.

"Then trust that everything will work out," he said. "It might hurt for a while, but we're all here for you to make it hurt less. And I think Kid's an okay guy. I know he'll do the right thing by you in the end. If he doesn't, then we'll beat him up."

Nami let herself laugh. A painful, empty sound.

She wanted to believe that Kid would make everything right, too. She just wished she knew how.

* * *

It took him a couple of days to get the balls to call her. His hand shook as he held his phone and stared at her number, his thumb hovering over the button to dial it. She hadn't tried to contact him and he didn't know what that might mean, but he wasn't going to call her until he was ready to face the inevitable.

Killer stood in the door to his room the whole time, silently watching him fight against the urge to run away from it all. He felt lightheaded and a strange mixture of cold and hot that left his face flushed even as his body shivered. Was this how Nami felt all the time? If it was, it was horrible.

When he finally found the courage to dial her number, he held his breath as he waited for her to answer. He wondered if she would. She had avoided his calls in the past when she was angry or upset or scared. It would hurt like hell if she did it to him again, but at the same time he would be relieved to put it off a little longer. He was afraid to face her. Especially after four days pent up in his room, not sleeping, not eating, just hiding out in his bed with music blasting and realizing there were way too many break up songs out there that made him feel like an angsty teenager every time they came on. His hair was a greasy mess, begging for a shower. His eyes were swollen and bloodshot. He wouldn't admit that he had cried after he realized what he had to do…

But he did. Like the pathetic, love-sick sap he was.

And he would have to face Nami like that, except for the hair. He would drag himself into the shower before he saw her, at the very least. It wouldn't do anything for the bags under his eyes, or the exhaustion sinking deep into his bones, but at least he wouldn't smell like stale sweat and liquor.

He was surprised when Nami picked up just before his call went to voicemail. Her voice was quiet, like a timid mouse shrinking away from danger. Hearing her like that only made him want to hang up and hide himself. Killer still needed to beat him up, too. Maybe he should finally get that out of the way.

He released a shuddering breath and struggled for words. It should be easy to talk to her, but this time it was the hardest thing in the world he would ever have to do.

"You free today?" he asked, just as quiet as her.

She hesitated, and then sighed. "I am."

"Meet me at the park in a half an hour," he said, fidgeting on his bed and digging his fingers into the sheets. "You should probably bring some of your friends. It won't take long."

Nami didn't say anything for a long moment, but then she let out a long breath as ragged and pained as his. She mumbled some agreement, her voice thick and he knew she was fighting back tears. They both knew what was coming.

"See ya soon," he grunted and hung up before he could change his mind, grovel and beg for forgiveness, swear that he would never hurt her again, promise to do anything if it would let him keep her. But he wouldn't do that. Couldn't do that. She deserved better.

"Can you drive?" he asked Killer. He probably shouldn't be behind the wheel of anything with his mental turmoil. He was liable to run himself off the road.

"Of course."

"Thanks," he sighed, and dragged himself out of bed with a groan. "I'm going to take a quick shower. If I'm not out in ten, come get me."

"Understood."

As he expected he would, he lost track of time while standing beneath the hot fall of water. Well, he didn't lose track of time, he just didn't want to leave. Killer was there after ten minutes, on the dot, and ushered him out to get dressed. He would have taken his sweet time with that, too, if it wasn't for his friend handing him clothes that he mindlessly pulled on. He had ceased thinking at that point. It was for the best. If he kept thinking, he would end up changing his mind. So, he let Killer shove him around his bedroom and bathroom and up to the garage. Before he knew it, they were pulling up to the park with only a few minutes to spare.

"You can do this," Killer said as they spotted Nami. She stood on one of the more secluded sidewalks, tucked beneath a tree with Luffy at her side. He could see her fidgeting, wringing her hands, obviously nervous. Her friend wore a reassuring grin when he wasn't making stupid faces in an attempt to cheer her up.

He was glad she brought Straw Hat, even if the idiot ended up punching him for this.

"Nami," he called out as he trudged along the path. He walked slowly with his hands shoved in his pockets, one clutching to a slender box. He didn't want to rush this, even though he knew he had to get it over with. When she turned to face him, he etched every feature of her into his memory and wished her eyes didn't look so vacant. He wanted to remember them shining with happiness in case he never got to see her again.

If not for that, she looked as beautiful as ever. Her long orange hair fluttering in the summer breeze, her cheeks pink with a flush. She wore a cute yellow dress that hugged her curves, and he hated that he would never be able to hold her in his arms again.

"Hey," she said, trying to sound light-hearted. Her smile fell short with the trepidation in her eyes.

He came to a stop a few feet from her. He didn't want to get too close. He might try to touch her, and he had no right to touch her anymore.

They stood in tense silence for agonizingly long minutes. Killer stood back a few feet, and Kid could feel the weight of his friend's gaze urging him on. But he struggled to speak the words, felt them grow thick in his throat until they strangled him. He cleared his throat and shot a look at Luffy who had taken up a defensive position beside her. With the look, though, he pursed his frown and gave him a nod before taking a few steps back, giving them some sense of privacy.

"Can I see your wrists?" he asked, eyeing her hands as she continued to wring them together. She nodded and slowly lifted her hands in front of her. He didn't take them, still afraid to touch her, and eyed the pale skin of her arms. The bruising had faded, but he could still see a few spots where his fingers dug in. The yellow blemishes strengthened his resolve. "I'm sorry."

Nami's breath hitched, and she nodded as she hung her head. She cleared her throat and let out a shaky breath.

"What happened?" she asked at a hush. "Why were you so angry?"

He let his head fall back with a sigh. He didn't want to make excuses, the reasons for his anger didn't matter.

"That fight I got in at work… It was with one of Big Mom's brats. Prick made a big deal about it, got me fired. I was pissed about that. Thought seeing you would make it better, but…" He shrugged. His anger shouldn't be her problem. He shouldn't blame it on her. It was his issue to deal with now, not hers. "Doesn't make any difference. I shouldn't have done that."

She let out another shaky sigh and nodded in agreement. They fell into an awkward silence again.

It was now or never.

"I think…" He paused to take a deep breath, fighting against his need to hold onto her. "I think we should break up."

Nami's head shot up, eyes wide in surprise. He thought she knew why they were meeting, but that look told him she hadn't expected that. For a split second he cursed his decision. If she hadn't expected this, then that meant she was expecting an apology and a chance to forgive him, a chance to set things right. He could keep her.

But then he saw the tears making her eyes glisten and he shuttered away those unreasonable hopes. Even if she thought to forgive him, he didn't deserve it. Not this time. Not yet.

"I thought…" she began, pausing as her voice cracked. He clenched his hands in his pockets and fought the urge to wrap his arms around her. "I thought you said you'd never give me up?"

He chuckled a sad, tired laugh and looked straight down. "Never thought I'd hurt you. I _swore_ I would never hurt you, but I broke that promise." He gestured toward her wrists, and then glanced over her shoulder at Luffy. "And I swore I wouldn't hurt your friends, but I tried to give you an ultimatum, make you choose between us… And if you hadn't come home when you did, with my temper like that… I can't say I wouldn't have hurt any of them when I came to get you."

Nami's head fell with another nod. She chewed on her lip and tried to hold in her emotions. He could read her like an open book, though, and felt her pain pull on his heart. He hated that this was only hurting her more.

He cleared his throat again. "I, uh, got you something… For your birthday…"

She looked up at him with a gasp. "Kid, you don't have to –"

"I told you I got you something, and obviously we can't celebrate your birthday like we planned now, but I can at least give you what I bought you," he huffed, pulling out the velvet box in his pocket. Her eyes widened and she lifted a hesitant hand toward it. "Just take it," he growled. He couldn't stay there any longer, not when all he wanted to do was take everything back and hold onto her forever.

Nami gently took the box from him, and opened it with shaking hands. She sucked in a sharp breath when she saw the gold bracelet complete with four charms – a little golden cat, a cluster of gold and silver coins, a tangerine, and a solid gold heart. Her lips quivered, wanting to smile but unable to as her tears broke free. Her sob was what made him move.

"It's beautiful," she said through a gasped breath, a hand going to clasp over her mouth and hold back another sob as he gave up the fight against touching her one last time. She didn't struggle as he wound his arms around her shoulders and drew her tight against his chest. She shuddered in his hold, another sob making her shake.

His eyes burned as he squeezed them shut and buried his face against her neck. He breathed in her scent until his eyes stung with the pain tearing through his chest.

"Don't cry," he whispered in her ear. She only sobbed harder. "Fuck, I hate this… I hate doing this to you, but I have to." He felt her hands dig into his shirt, holding tight, and he cursed himself again. She didn't want to let go, and neither did he. So he held her tighter. "This is the last thing I ever wanted to do, Nami."

"Then why are you?" she asked with a broken voice that he swore was sharp enough to make his heart shatter.

"You know why. I laid my hands on you. I don't deserve to even beg for your forgiveness, no matter how much I want to. I might be a low-life, piece of shit, but I swore I'd never be like the scum of this world that hurts the people they care most about. I was supposed to protect you, and I hurt you. You can do so much better than me. You can be happier without me trying to dominate your damn life."

"I was happy with you," she argued, yanking on his shirt in a moment of stubborn anger that mixed with her sadness.

"I know… Fuck… I know, and I wish we could have stayed that way, but I went and fucked it up." He squeezed his arms around her and let himself press a kiss to her jaw, sating a selfish need to taste her one last time. "I love you way too much to keep hurting you like this. I need to get my head straight, need to fix my own shit, and maybe then…." He kissed her again. "I don't know… I just know that this is the right thing, at least for you. I gotta let you go before I hurt you again."

Letting go of her was the hardest thing he ever had to do, but he fought his own instincts and slowly unwound his arms from her. She still gripped his shirt. He wanted to let her keep holding onto him, but he knew he had to pry her fingers off of him. As he loosened her hold, he leaned in to kiss her temple, and then her forehead, letting the last linger as he took in another deep breath until his vision blurred.

He sniffed back his tumultuous emotions and glanced at her friend. The silent warnings Luffy held in his gaze earlier were gone, replaced with a sullen frown as he stared at Nami's back. Kid didn't miss the way his fists clenched at his sides, prepared to strike. His concern for his friend outweighed his anger, though, and when he caught Kid's gaze, he nodded a silent understanding and stepped toward them.

Kid released Nami and shoved her at Luffy. He watched her friend grab her in a tight hug and press her face to his chest as she continued to cry. Even knowing that the reason he had to let her go was his overwhelming possessiveness, it didn't quell his irrational need to rip her out of her friend's arms. He hated seeing her in Luffy's arms, hated seeing someone else comfort her grief… Grief he caused her.

"Damn it," he shouted, digging his hands in his hair as he struggled with himself. This hurt way too much, and he hated himself for putting them both through this.

A solid hand clamped on his shoulder, restraining him before he took everything back and ruined Nami's life forever. He let Killer tug him back a step, and then another. With the third step, he jerked around with a growl, putting Nami behind him.

"Damn it," he choked out again.

"I got you, Kid," Killer said quietly as he tossed his arm around his shoulders and pulled him back toward his car. "You did the right thing."

He slumped against his friend, exhausted and numb, and grunted his agreement, as hollow as it was.

"You owe me a good beating when we get home for making her cry," he muttered at the car.

Killer patted him on the back. "I think you've beat yourself up enough... But sure."

He honestly felt so numb, he doubted anything else could hurt more.

* * *

Nami watched Kid walk away through a tendril of her hair, blinking away watery tears to see the anguish in the man's posture.

Kid just did the one thing she never thought he would. He let her go. Even though it was obvious he didn't want to, he still did, and she knew it had to have hurt him as much as, if not more than, it hurt her. He ripped out both of their hearts, and she wanted to be angry at him for it, but she knew there was no other choice for them.

They couldn't keep going as they were, not with Kid's temper on a razor's edge all because he couldn't stand to share her with her friends. Someone was going to get hurt again. For Kid to make that decision, though, to set aside his own selfish desires and let her go before it got any worse… If she ever doubted his love for her, she never would again.

And knowing that just made her want to run after him and demand he take her back.

She knew she couldn't. He said he needed to get himself together, to fix his life, and that would take time. Time she would have to give him.

Her view of Kid was cut off as Luffy's hand pressed hard to the back of her head, turning her away again. She clung to her best friend's red shirt and tried to restrain another sob. It escaped when she felt him rest his straw hat on her head. That was enough to make her break down completely.

"Shhhh, it's okay, Nami. Everything will be okay," he reassured, stroking her back.

"How is this okay?" she asked through a broken sob. "This isn't what I wanted. That idiot's always doing the last thing I want him to do."

"But this time he did what you both needed him to do," Luffy said, sounding far wiser than he normally did. She peeked up at him to see that he was staring off over her head, likely watching Kid's broken retreat from her. When he looked down at her, he grinned. "He just wants you happy, even if he has to make you sad first. I believe that he can make it all better again."

She hoped he was right, because right now everything hurt. Her heart felt like it had shriveled up in her chest, and she felt like she would be crying for years. She had been heartbroken in the past, but nothing like this.

"Now come on," Luffy said cheerfully as he released her. She stared in confusion as he turned his back to her and crouched down. He shot her another wide grin over his shoulder and gestured for her to climb on. She barely managed a smile before wrapping her arms around his neck and letting him pull her up onto his back. "I told everyone we're going to hang out at the house tonight. They're all waiting for us. You can stay the night there, but then Robin said you have to leave while we set up for your party."

"Thanks, Luffy," she sighed, nestling against his back. His optimism and cheerfulness was infectious. If he thought everything would turn out fine in the end, then she would do her best to believe in him.

And believe in Kid.

* * *

_**A/N: **Seriously, just trust me, okay? I know this hurts, but it's actually majorly positive character development for both of them. Development they need before this turns toxic. Just trust me._

_But yeah, this was probably the most painful thing I have ever written (next to the one LawNa thing I wrote where Law dies that's on my tumblr if you haven't read it, lol). I'm very eager to see everyone's reactions to this (even if it's screaming and cursing at me). I listened to 'In The End' on repeat for this chapter, thus why I titled it the way I did. Wrote the whole thing in one day because it just hurt so much I had to get it over with. We just gotta bear with the pain for a few more chapters._

_And now I'm gonna cry and write something more lighthearted... like Viking drama, lol._


	36. Chapter 36

_Again, trust me, I know what I'm doing._

_Warning for a lot of vulgarity and crudeness in the first section of this chapter because any time you have Bonney and Kid in the same room, this is what happens._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_Healing_

The first week was the worst. It had to be the worst. He refused to think he could feel shittier than he did right after breaking up with Nami.

It was a good thing he didn't have a job to go to, because he didn't have the energy to drag himself out of bed for days. All those sleepless nights hit him like a freight train after he walked away from her in the park. He barely managed to get down to his room when Killer got him home. He didn't even bother undressing before he collapsed on the mattress and buried his face into her pillow. When he woke up, he was stripped to his boxers with his prosthetic arm removed, tucked under the covers, and clinging to a pillow that didn't smell like her any more.

Killer said he slept for two days straight.

After he woke, he got up long enough to use the bathroom, went back to his room to eat whatever meal Killer brought him, and promptly went back to sleep.

When he woke again the next day, it was to see Killer come into his room holding a box filled to the brim with stuff. _His stuff_. The stuff he kept at Nami's.

His energy returned long enough to climb out of bed, grab the box from Killer's arms, and storm upstairs to throw the whole thing into the backyard with a barked order for his friend to burn everything. He didn't care that it was mostly his clothes, it was a reminder that what he had with her was over, that he no longer belonged in her space, and that he needed to rummage through the remains of his room to find the things she probably wanted back, too. He didn't want to do that. He wanted to keep everything he had that belonged to her, hoard it all away with some twisted hope that she would be back in his room again someday.

So he went back to bed and slept for another day.

The next time he woke up, he managed to get out of bed for longer than five minutes. He knew he couldn't keep sulking. It wasn't going to get him anywhere. He needed to get his shit together, get a new job, get into the automotive program, and none of that was going to happen while he wallowed in his misery.

He also really needed a shower and food.

When he got out of the shower and found clothes, he ventured up into the house. Wire and Heat stared in shock at his emergence from the basement, while Killer appeared not to be overly surprised as he waited in the kitchen with a bag of food.

Cabbage rolls. From his favorite take-out spot.

Killer hadn't expected to be swallowed in a hug, but he was. It was a short hug, but he squeezed the guy hard enough to crush him if he were half the strength, and lifted him a few inches from the ground. When he pulled away, he snatched the bag and disappeared back into the basement without a word.

He still felt like shit, but it was a start toward remembering how to live his life without Nami in it.

During the second week, he managed to find work after making a few calls to his underworld contacts. It wasn't exactly legal work, really it wasn't even close to being legal, but it paid well and he got to work with cars. And he never gave a shit about the legality of anything he did, so that was the least of his worries.

His new job had him fitting cars with hidden compartments for smuggling, mostly welding and some frame work. The best part, other than the extra cash, was that he didn't have to deal with any shitheads looking to pick a fight with him. He was left alone with whatever cars he was given for the whole day and only had to talk to the boss at the end of the day to get his cut when a customer picked up a car.

It also gave him some great ideas for the day he had his own garage.

He felt like he was making some progress. He hadn't thought of Nami as much as he expected to, at least not while he was at work. She still found her way into his mind from time to time, and it had been a pain in the ass restraining himself from calling her after he got the new job, but he managed well enough. He had gotten to a point where the pain and loneliness was easily buried down with loud music and a few rounds at the punching bag. He finally had Killer beat the crap out of him when the punching bag wasn't enough, and he dragged his friend out back to spar until neither of them could move.

He had a setback in his recovery come the fourth week when Killer finally forced him to go through the house and look for Nami's things. He ended up sitting on the couch, staring at a box of pictures that he had collected from around his room and workshop, while Killer did most of the work gathering Nami's clothes, her extra blanket, a couple of books, and other odds and ends that had become so mixed with his own junk, he forgot they weren't actually his. He didn't hand over any of the pictures he had of her, but he knew Nami wouldn't expect to get those back. Killer had emptied the box of his things weeks before and said that all she returned were his clothes, a couple of his cds, and three movies he left at her place. She kept her own pictures, as well as the stuffed dog he won for her.

Kid hated taking down all those pictures. His room looked dark and dingy without her smile on his wall, and his shop felt that much emptier without the sexy pin-up shots she had gifted him with. Without those last pieces of her in his spaces, his life looked colorless, hollow, and the loneliness of that drowned him. That night was another sleepless one, and he wanted nothing more than to call in to work and spend the day wallowing. Killer dragged him out of bed in the morning, though, and saw that he didn't stop pushing himself forward.

Killer helpfully reminded him that he wasn't going to have a chance to get Nami back unless he got his head straight and life in order. He needed to be alone for a while to do that, but someday, if he found a way to ease his rage and possessiveness, he might be allowed to have her again. If that was what he still wanted. Killer was also sure to remind him that feelings did change, that he might love her now, but with time that could lessen as he recovered from losing her. He might have no choice but to give up those feelings altogether. She might move on, he might lose his shot at winning her back, or the pain of still loving her might drive him so mad that he would have to give it up before he wrecked everything.

By week six his life felt normal again. Dull, but normal. A routine had set in, one that he had to admit was easier without constantly thinking about when he would see Nami. He had changed a lot of his habits over the last few weeks that helped him avoid running into her, thus keeping her off his mind. The coffee shop they both frequented before was out of the way for him on days he had to work, so he didn't go there anymore. He purposefully avoided the park, even if the chances of running into her there were slim. Too many memories with her there – a lot of good ones, and one very horrible one. The school his automotive courses would be held at was on the opposite side of town from her university, so once he started that, there was no chance of running into her there. He stopped going to Shakky's on his nights off, but he had hardly bothered going there over the last few months of his relationship with Nami anyway. He was trying to save money, and Shakky was as likely to rob him blind as Nami was, so he was better off drinking at home with the guys. Eventually he'd go back, but not yet.

Week eight came with news that he was officially accepted into the automotive program, in part thanks to a stellar recommendation Franky had written for him back when he first applied to the school. His excitement was quelled when his first instinct was to grab the phone and call Nami to tell her. He had his phone in his hand, her number right on the screen, when he realized what he was about to do. He quickly cleared her number and then threw his phone onto the concrete floor of his garage before crushing it under his boot.

He got completely wasted that night and fell asleep in a deck chair on the back patio, upside down with a thin blanket Killer retrieved for him to fight off the chilly night air after he refused to go inside. His drunken reason for staying outside was that there were phones inside. Computers, too. He might try to contact her in there. It was better to lock him out than give him that temptation. He woke up with a head cold, but at least he didn't make an ass of himself by drunk dialing his ex-girlfriend like a desperate loser.

It was that weekend when the guys dragged him out to celebrate, that he forced himself to make a real effort to move on from her. He couldn't pine over her for the rest of his life. No matter how much he wanted her back, he knew he couldn't hope for it, especially when he hadn't seen her in two months. She hadn't tried to contact him, hadn't tried to see him. She was obviously trying to move on, too, so he was better off doing the same, even if he was miserable in the process.

The bar they went to was an older hangout they had before everyone began to go to Shakky's. It was small, run down, but had cheap prices and good food, plus plenty of chumps who would end up paying for their whole tab after he kicked their asses at the pool table. It was familiar, but didn't hold any of the memories he had with Nami, so he was at ease and for the most part she was far from his mind. A few girls even tried to hit on him, but they didn't hold a flame to what he had given up, so he brushed them aside without a care and focused on having fun with his friends.

That was his plan until a familiar face came in with an offer he was reluctant to refuse.

Jewelry Bonney was a regular at the casino, as well as the old bar he used to frequent. They were from the same neighborhood, knew each other well enough to sort of get along. _Sort of_. Most of the time they snarled insults at each other, but there wasn't any malice in them, and there were plenty of nights when he was barely out of his teens that they found themselves on the same side of a bar fight and had a lot of fun beating the crap out of people together.

She was probably a friend. Maybe not a good one, but they hadn't tried to kill each other, and in their old neighborhood, that was pretty close to being friends.

"Yo, asshole," Bonney greeted with a wave as she sauntered in with a few guys later that night. He was buzzed enough to make him lazy, so he didn't give a shit about the insult she greeted him with, just shot her a glare as he tilted back a bottle of cheap beer. "Haven't seen you around in a while, 'specially here. Where ya been?"

"Around," he grunted as she invited herself to sit at his table, pulling up a chair next to him.

She slammed a booted foot onto the table, knocking over Killer's half empty beer bottle. She didn't even look at his darkening glare as she waved down the waitress to put in an order.

"Tsh, what kind of answer is that?" she snapped. "I heard about what happened at the casino. You're better off. That place is crawling with rat-faced bastards who'll burn it down if they don't win."

He rolled his eyes and grunted, unwilling to discuss his old job.

"So, you been spending your free time with that hot girlfriend of yours?" she suddenly asked with a lazy smile. He went stiff, but she didn't seem to notice, not when her beer and a plate of hot wings came out for her to enjoy. That bar knew better than to take long with Bonney's orders. "You're dating Nami, right?" she went on around a mouthful of chicken. "Remember you beat the shit out of that ass hollering at her at the casino one night, and heard some of the regulars mention how lucky you are to be screwing a woman like her. I know if I were you, I'd be spending every second I had in her bed."

He snarled into the lip of his beer bottle and leveled his glare on the wall.

"I ain't dating her," he forced himself to say. "Not anymore," he added with a low growl of warning.

Bonney stopped chewing to send him a look of mild surprise. Her brow rose as she swept her gaze over him. After a second she swallowed her food and sat back.

"What'd you do?" she asked flatly.

"None of your damn business," he growled.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure whatever you did was more than deserving of her dumping your loser ass." She didn't cower for a second when he snarled at her insult. "Still curious what finally made her see that she could do better. She catch you cheating on her or something?"

He slammed down his beer bottle hard enough to shatter it. "I didn't cheat on her, woman. I'd never do that to her. And she didn't dump me, either."

That took Bonney by surprise, her brows shooting up and jaw dropping open. "Wait. _You_ dumped _her_?"

He hissed and looked away from her to growl at the wall. "Some shit happened. I broke up with her before she could break up with me."

Bonney didn't say a word after he shared that much, merely sat there staring at him. He decided to ignore her thoughtful frown as he waved for another round to their table. After a while, she went back to her dinner, though she continued to stare at him. When she was done with her hot wings, washed them down with a second bottle of beer, and had put in an order for two burgers, she leaned forward to level him with a gaze he thought might be sympathetic. He couldn't say for sure, but at least it wasn't a look that made him want to strangle her.

"You gave her up," Bonney said matter-of-factly. "She must really have meant something to you."

The sympathy in her tone kept him from biting her head off for prying more. He eyed her a moment as he finished off another bottle, trying to judge if she was being sincere, or if maybe she intended to mock him for it. When he decided she wasn't going to be a bitch about it, he looked away with a grunt.

"Yeah, she did," he answered quietly.

"How long has it been?"

"'Bout two months."

Bonney hummed. "I haven't seen her around lately, either. Ran into that idiot moss-head she's friends with a couple weeks ago and asked about her. All he said was that she's been busy. But that guy ain't very chatty."

Kid grunted his understanding as he stared into his empty beer bottle. He wasn't drunk enough to talk about Nami or her friends.

"You hoping to get her back?" Bonney asked just as the waitress set her burgers in front of her.

He shrugged as he snatched a shot glass off the waitress' tray before she could walk away. He hadn't ordered it, but he needed it. They knew better than to say anything about it.

"Tsh, you're pathetic," Bonney muttered. She met his glare with a withering stare. "You're sitting here obviously still hung up on a woman you gave up, rather than doing anything to change that. I get why you're hung up on her. Nami's a great girl, and if I wasn't here to pity your sorry ass, I'd be hunting her down to see if I have a chance with her myself."

Kid's brows furrowed at that image. He didn't know what to think when he wasn't as jealous as he normally would be. Then again, the thought of Nami in bed with another woman was way too hot to actually be upset over it.

"I'll punch you in the balls if you say anything about a threesome, you pig," Bonney growled lowly at him.

He snapped himself from extremely graphic images of Nami twined together with Bonney to glare at the woman with him. "I wasn't even thinking it," he said honestly. "Definitely imagining you in bed with her, but I'm not muddying that fantasy with my ugly mug in the middle of it."

Bonney snorted and relaxed again. "Good, 'cause I ain't very good at sharing."

Kid couldn't help but chuckle at that. "You and me, both. Though, I don't mind too much if you try to hook up with her. Least I know you respect her."

"Thanks for giving me your blessing," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Like I needed it, jerk."

He ignored her as the waitress brought him another beer, along with a shot of something that could probably kill a lesser man, and sank into his drinks. The guys had been playing another round of pool while Kid talked with Bonney, but their game finished up and brought them back to the table. Conversation moved away from Nami, and soon enough Kid had put her to the back of his mind again as their drinking grew more lively.

By the end of the night, he couldn't see straight enough to play darts, though he made an effort. Bonney was still hanging out with him and took sick amusement in every throw that went wide of its mark, doubly so when it landed in some idiot's thigh.

"So, you seen any action since you broke up with her?" Bonney asked suddenly while she tried to eat a slice of pizza while making a throw. She was off-balanced from the liquor, and eating at the same time meant her dart wasn't going to hit anywhere near the board. It hit the wall above the target.

Kid's brow rose when she turned to face him. What the hell did she want to know that for?

"Seriously? You had to have had at least one hook-up if it's been a couple months. Can't see you sitting on your ass all depressed over a girl and not getting back out there, even if it's just for a cheap fling," she said, grabbing another slice of pizza from the plate at their table.

He made an attempt at glaring as he shoved by her to find the darts. There were only two left. They lost the third an hour ago. This time he couldn't find the second, so ripped the one out of the wall above the target as he snarled at her.

"She wasn't just any girl," he admitted. "And I've been busy gettin' my shit in order. Going back to school, so had to find a new job to pay for it. And yeah, I might have been wallowin' a bit, but that ain't any of your business."

She held her hands up in surrender. "Hey, had no idea you actually had those kinds of feelings for anyone. All I've ever seen from you is apathy or anger, figured you'd bounce back easily enough, even if she was special to you."

He growled, but didn't say anything as he turned to squint at the dartboard in front of him. He drank enough for there to be two of them, so it really made aiming a tough task.

And Bonney just had to make it tougher.

"I can always help you out with that," she suggested breezily just as he began to throw the dart.

It fell from his hand and hit the floor barely a foot in front of him. He turned to gape at the woman who was devouring her tenth slice of pizza without a care in the world, as though she hadn't just suggested randomly hooking up with him.

"How fucking drunk are you?" he asked incredulously once he shook away his surprise.

"Drunk enough to fuck you," she said with a snort.

"What about your plans to scissor my ex?" he asked flatly.

"She ain't here, and you obviously need a rebound lay, but don't seem interested in a single woman in this bar." Bonney shrugged. "Or were you thinkin' to have your rebound be with a dude?"

He rolled his eyes at her and threw himself into a nearby chair. "I wasn't thinking about having a rebound at all. I just broke up with her."

"Two months ago," Bonney remind. "For all you know, she's already found someone else to get in bed with."

The jealousy he hadn't felt before came back to claw at his chest just thinking about Nami hooking up with some random guy. Bonney's brow rose when he growled.

"So you have no problem with me making a move on her, but random faceless guys possibly fucking her gets you all riled up? Is it because I'm a woman? You can get off to the thought of her and I doing each other, but not to her with another dick in – "

"Finish that sentence, I'll break your fucking teeth, bitch," he interrupted with a snarl.

Her hands went up to say she was backing off. "That's still pretty fucked up."

"Tsh, like I don't know that already," he muttered and snagged another glass of something he hoped was liquor off a passing waitress' tray. He downed it in one gulp and grimaced at the taste of cheap vodka. "Anyway, I ain't interested in moving on just like that. Don't really want another relationship."

"I never said anything about a relationship, idiot." Bonney sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Listen, I could use a good fuck tonight, and obviously you need one, too, to get over your shit with your ex. All I'm saying is we go take care of each other's needs for a night and walk away hopefully a little better off than we were before. It's just one night. No strings. You can go back to wallowing in your self-pity afterward if that's what ya want to do, and I'll move along to the next fun thing."

He stared at her for a moment, surprised when he actually began to consider the offer. Bonney wasn't unattractive, though she wasn't the type he'd call pretty or cute like he would with Nami, but Bonney was the type to kick a guy's teeth out for complimenting her looks. She only accepted compliments like that from other women. Despite how much food she packed away, she had a good figure. Maybe a little curvier at the hips and ass, and her breasts were definitely bigger than Nami's. She was taller than Nami, too.

"I can see you mentally ticking off every little thing about me that isn't the same as Nami," Bonney huffed, hands propped on her hips. "I ain't got the time or patience to watch you war with yourself. I ain't her. I ain't going to be. All you need to see is that I'm good for a lay, and maybe the next time you drag yourself out of your pit, it'll be a little easier to take another woman home with you. Or another dude, if that's what ya want."

She had a point there. And with Bonney, she knew him well enough not to expect anything after that night. That would make it easy, a clean break. It was just one night. Though, the thought of going home with another woman made his chest ache, and he swore he felt something resembling guilt gnaw at the back of his mind.

"And don't you dare think this is cheating on her," Bonney snapped as his scowl deepened. "You broke up with her. You're single. She's probably moving on, so why can't you?"

He hissed at that reminder and shoved himself out of his chair. Killer was at the pool table again, nursing a beer while Wire took a shot. He stormed over to his friend, ripped his beer out of his hand to guzzle it down. He ignored his friend's annoyed look as he slammed the bottle down and reached into his back pocket for his wallet.

"I'm going home with her," he said, gesturing over his shoulder at Bonney. She was grabbing her coat and waving at the friends she had originally come with before ditching them for his group.

Killer's eyes widened. "You sure?"

"Not really," he grunted honestly as he tossed a few bills on the railing by the pool table. "But if I'm giving Nami a chance at finding someone better, then I gotta do my part in gettin' over her. Bonney's willing and knows the deal. It's just a one-night thing."

Killer frowned at him, but with a sigh, he gave him an understanding nod and hard pat on the shoulder. "Hope it works."

With those words of encouragement, Kid spun away and went back to Bonney. "Let's go," he said as he tossed an arm around her shoulders to pull her along.

She shoved his arm off of her. "Hey, I ain't your girl or anything, don't go treating me like it," she snapped, walking a little faster to lead the way. "And we'll do this at my place. It's closer. But if you start being a whiny little bitch about this, I'll kick you out and go look for Nami."

"Tsh, can't believe I'm doing this with you," he growled. "You ain't even nice."

"If you wanted nice, you shouldn't have dumped your girl… Or fucked things up with her in the first place," Bonney shot back. She turned around to punch him hard in the arm, pulling another low growl from him. "This isn't going to be nice sex, anyway. Got it?"

He hissed, but didn't say anything.

He had to admit, some angry hate-sex sounded pretty good to him right then.

* * *

For the first few months after breaking things off, Nami threw herself into everything she could to keep her mind off of Kid. She partied with her friends for her birthday, and then went home the next day to cry alone in her bed, wishing it was all just a very bad dream. After a day of grief, she moved on to anger. Robin came over to watch her rant and rave about Kid's stupidity while she stormed through the house searching for his stuff and tossing all of it into a pile in the living room. In her rampage, she broke a glass sconce, three picture frames, and Robin just barely caught a shoe before it could crash through a window, and then stopped her from demolishing her whole kitchen.

She hadn't thrown a tantrum like that since Arlong was around.

She wanted to hate Kid for doing this to her, for making her love him and then leaving her. She wanted to curse him for dragging her into that stupid relationship when she hadn't wanted it, when she knew it wasn't going to last, that he was just going to hurt her. He had proved her right, and she never thought it could hurt as much as it did. And she still couldn't hate him.

After her fit, she fell to her knees, exhausted and empty, and tried desperately not to cry only to have the tears fall free the moment Robin wrapped her up in her arms.

She left Kid's things in their pile for days after that, pretending they weren't there, even as she did her best to go about her normal routine. Eventually Robin brought over a box and packed them up for her. She even took them over to Kid's house so she wouldn't have to go, and just like that, it was as if he had never been there at all. She only had the pictures and Boss left. And her bracelet. The gift she hadn't taken off once since the day he gave it to her. While the pictures she had packed away and hid in her safe, the bracelet and her stuffed animal were always there, a constant reminder of what she had, but she couldn't give them up or hide them away. They meant too much to her.

_He_ meant too much to her.

After two weeks of hollow misery and struggling to reclaim a sense of normalcy, Nami decided she needed a change of scenery. As great as her friends were in helping keep her spirits up, she desperately needed to get away. And there was only one place she wanted to be, one person she wanted to see. There was one person in her life that was always there for her, never abandoned her, and who knew every hurt she endured, every secret she kept. So, she went home.

She spent two weeks in Cocoyashi with her sister. Her days were filled with tangerines and laughter, and her nights were spent curled up in bed with Nojiko beside her, playing with her hair until she fell asleep. She drove Genzo insane by stealing books and candy like she did as a kid, helped Nako around at the clinic for an hour or two when there were no chores left to do at the grove. She spent a whole day walking around the island, mentally mapping it like she had as a child. She visited Bellemere's grave every night with Nojiko, and forced herself to smile through her pain, just like her mother had taught her. And she stood outside the plot that had once held Arlong's home and was now being cleared for the town to build a new school. Staring at the greatest change her life had seen, and the healing the town had done since Arlong's reign, she remembered just how far she had come since the years of torment she endured with him.

She reminded herself that the pain would be temporary, and that she had no choice but to face it and move on. Kid had done this for her, for _them_. Their relationship wasn't as healthy as she might have thought it was. He was suffering, and if they stayed as they were, she would be hurting far more than she was now. She knew exactly what his possessiveness could lead him to do, and she knew what it meant for him to actually let her go.

He wanted to be a better man for her. He didn't want to hurt her or take away what she cherished. He wanted her to be happy, even if it was without him.

Someday they might have another chance to get it right. If that was still what they both wanted, of course. And until that day came, she would do her best to keep smiling, to remain strong and look ahead to the better times on the horizon. If she could face eight years working for the man who murdered her mother without giving up and losing hope, then she could face her life after heartbreak.

That night when she visited her mother's grave, she found her smile came much easier and she knew it was time to go back to the life she had made for herself.

When she got back to town, all her friends were waiting for her at the airport. Luffy nearly suffocated her with his hug, but after getting him off her with a few hard punches, she couldn't wipe off the huge smile she wore. It was good to be home. It was good to be with her friends.

After that, she was back to her studies and began to pick up more regular shifts at Shakky's. She had been worried about working at the bar more often, but Shakky told her that Kid hadn't been around in quite some time, so she felt it was safe to be there. And even if he came around, then that was fine. She felt that she could face him again. But for three months since they broke up, he never came around, and eventually she stopped looking at the door every time a new customer came in to see if it was him.

That night she was running late for her shift. She had met with Professor Haredas about her remaining coursework and lost track of time during their meeting. She rushed home to change into jeans and a low cut tank top before hurrying off to the bar. She ran in through the back door to store her helmet and coat in the kitchen, then grabbed a black apron and headed toward the front.

"Shakky, sorry I'm late," she called to the owner behind the bar, distracted with the ties of the apron that sat at her waist. She jumped when the older woman grabbed her by the arm and tugged her toward the kitchen doors. She looked up in surprise and found worry etched in Shakky's expression.

"It's fine, but I should warn you…" she began to say, voice at a hush, before trailing off to glance out at the bar. Nami followed her gaze. Shakky didn't have to say any more as she caught sight of his deep red hair and felt all the air rush from her lungs. He was drinking a beer as he talked with his friends. As if sensing their gaze, he looked up and immediately found her. His eyes widened, mirroring her surprise.

She thought she was prepared to see Kid again, but as she felt her heart beat painfully in her chest, urging her to run away, she realized she wasn't.

"Are you going to be okay?" Shakky asked, stepping in the path of her gaze to break her eye contact with Kid. Nami shook her head and snapped herself out of her stupor. "It's not too busy tonight. You can go home if you can't work with him here. Or I can tell him to leave."

Nami took a deep breath and a step back. She didn't want to ruin his night, but she needed to work. And if they were ever going to move beyond the past, possibly recover what they lost, she would have to speak to him again. She couldn't run away from him. She ran away from him enough in the past. She wasn't afraid of him anymore.

And she missed him.

After another deep breath, she found the will to smile for Shakky. It was a little strained, but it was still coming easier than she thought it would. She was fine. She could do this.

"It's no big deal," she told her boss. "I knew that we couldn't avoid each other forever."

"Alright, if you say so. But if it's too much for you, just say the word," Shakky said, giving her shoulder a tight squeeze. "Now get your ass out there and make us some money."

She laughed honestly, the thought of lining her pockets with cash always did a wonder for her spirits, and skipped out to the bar to get to work.

Nami took her time working toward Kid's table. The atmosphere was tense enough with the bar full of regulars that night who knew all about their relationship, or lack thereof. No one knew what to expect from Kid now that she was there, and they weren't about to test the waters and cause trouble. Only Apoo seemed willing to be his chatty, friendly self with no care of what Kid might think if he made her linger around his table for idle chit-chat.

She tried to ignore the weight of Kid's gaze while she rolled her eyes at Apoo and escaped him to see to other customers. Kid didn't move from his table or shout at Apoo, though, and when she bothered to glance his way, he snapped his eyes away from her and proceeded to sip at his pint as if he wasn't watching her.

With a heavy sigh, she decided that she just needed to get it over with. She couldn't avoid him all night. As she got closer to his table, she caught his eyes flit to her for a brief moment, and then his leg started bouncing under the table. She couldn't blame him for feeling nervous and fidgety, though she was surprised to see him show his anxiety so clearly. Usually he was better at feigning apathy.

"Hey guys," she greeted once she reached the table, focusing more on Kid's friends than on him as she tried to hold her smile in place.

"Nami," Killer greeted with a friendly smile at Kid's side. Wire and Heat glanced at Kid before giving her their own warm smiles in greeting. Killer seemed the most at ease out of everyone there. "How have you been?" Killer asked while Kid kept taking drinks from his glass.

"Good," she forced herself to say. It was mostly true. At least it was becoming more true by the day. "Busy with work and school, of course."

"How's school going?" Killer asked. She saw him shift slightly, and then Kid jumped with a grunt and turned to scowl at his friend. She had a feeling Killer kicked him under the table. She played ignorant to the behavior.

"It's going great. I had a meeting today with my advising professor to go over my last year of courses and application for the Master's program."

"Think you'll get in?"

"Of course," she said haughtily. "I'm a shoe in for it with my research."

Killer's smile widened and then he pointedly glanced toward Kid who was staring at his empty glass. The blond was willing his friend to say something, or maybe hint for Nami to speak to him. She wanted to, but Kid's awkwardness made her feel odd. She shifted from one foot to the other, and then began to turn away for the bar.

"You guys want another pitcher?" she asked.

Killer sighed when he saw they weren't going to speak yet, and nodded at her. "Please. And maybe a few shots," he said, frowning at his friend.

Nami's brow rose. "Any shot in particular?"

"Strongest one you got," Killer grunted.

"Coming right up," she chirped, and quickly made her escape for the bar.

When she got back to the bar, she saw Shakky had been watching the whole scene closely. She blew out a large cloud of smoke and frowned at the men, drawing Nami's attention back to the table in time to see Killer smack Kid upside the head. Kid snarled at his friend and gave him a small shove in retaliation.

"I've never seen that man sulk so much," Shakky said. "You'd think he wasn't the one to end things by how miserable he looks."

"He didn't want to break up with me," Nami whispered as she poured out a new pitcher for the guys. "It was complicated."

Shakky merely hummed thoughtfully. Nami had no idea what the sound meant, but Shakky didn't seem willing to say more.

She steeled herself for more awkward conversation, or probably awkward silence, as she piled their shots and pitcher onto a tray and headed back to the table. The guys thanked her as she passed out the new drinks, and collected the empty pitcher. Kid remained silent, but she could feel him staring at her as she handed out the shots. She dared to look at him when she set his drink down.

He was staring at her bracelet.

He blinked as she pulled her hand from his glass and finally looked up at her. "You're wearing it," he said quickly, surprise in his voice.

She couldn't help it as she curled her hand in to play with one the charms that hung over her palm. "Well, yeah. It was a gift, and…" She shrugged awkwardly. "I really like it." She managed a laugh that she swore sounded strained and shy to her ears, and smiled at him. "It goes perfectly with my bangle, and doesn't clash with a single outfit. So of course I'm wearing it."

Kid finally smiled as he looked down at the shot she brought him. He let out a quiet laugh that almost sounded like a cough, bashful and uncertain.

"Glad to hear it," he said, and then took his shot and tossed it back.

He didn't say any more, and she had more tables to see to, so she just smiled at all of them and went back to work. That small exchange was enough to put her at ease, and she almost forgot all about the ache in her chest that came every time she thought of him.

As the night wore on, the bar got busier and she was able to forget her anxiety over Kid's presence for a while. He and his friends didn't cause any trouble, and they exchanged some light conversation when she brought them their orders.

A couple of hours in, as the rush died back down and she found the time to take a break, she headed back to Kid's table to see if they needed anything else before she grabbed a snack for herself. Heat and Wire had taken to the pool table, leaving Kid and Killer at the table to watch.

"Hey, guys, I'm going on break for a few, do you need anything else first?" she asked the group. Heat shook his head as he lined up a shot on the table, Wire held up a full pint of beer to say he was good for the moment. She turned to the men at the table and found Kid staring up at her with a thoughtful look, but he seemed to have returned to his speechlessness.

"We're fine, Nami," Killer answered when it became obvious Kid couldn't find his tongue. "Go get off your feet a bit."

She forced a smile and began to turn away, but paused when Kid cleared his throat. She stared at him expectantly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Is it cool if we talk a bit?" he asked.

Her mouth gaped open and heart skipped a beat. She glanced at Killer who was far too focused on his beer to actually be unaware of what was happening. She glanced over at Wire and Heat who seemed just as determined to pretend that they weren't listening. Kid cleared his throat again, drawing her attention back to him.

"If ya don't want to, it's fine. Go take your break," Kid grunted, his tone surly and frustrated.

She smiled. "No, um…" She fidgeted, and hated herself for it. They were never this awkward before. "Yeah, we can talk," she said, forcing herself to sound as light and cheerful as she could. He looked at her warily as she slid into the seat across from him and leaned over the table with what she hoped was an easy-going smile. "What's up?"

He hummed, looking down at his drink as he gathered his thoughts. She waited patiently as he chugged down the last of his beer and reached for the pitcher to pour out what little was left in it.

"I never got around to telling you the news," he finally said. She cocked her head, silently telling him to explain. "I, uh, I applied to that automotive program." Her eyes widened in surprise and she sat a little straighter, excited and expectant. "I hadn't wanted to tell you until I got in, but…" He paused to scratch the back of his head again and looked up to let her see a hint of a proud smile. "I start next week."

She felt herself light up at the news, genuinely happy and elated for the first time in months. Her reaction made Kid relax, and she finally had a chance to see his wide grin again. She had missed that grin.

"Congratulations!" she cheered. "I knew you could do it."

He chuckled, the sound coming a little easier than it had before. "Don't say that yet. I gotta finish the program first. Might get kicked out again."

She waved off his reluctance. "You'll finish it," she said confidently. "You're great with mechanics, and from what Franky told me, you would have to murder someone to actually get kicked out of that program. He knows some of the instructors, and he said at least one of them gets a black eye from a student every semester. Usually it's their best students, too. You'll do great. I know you will."

His grin was even wider, and his uneasy gaze had warmed with her words. "Thanks, means a lot coming from you."

She felt herself blush, and glanced down as she swept a loose hair back behind her ear. "So, was this why you were picking up so many hours at the casino before? You were saving up to pay for school?"

He spun his half empty glass in front of him, his smile shrinking a bit at the subject. "Yeah, but I'm glad I got canned. That place was shit and I hated the hours. Found a job at an underworld garage that pays better and is less irritating, plus the guy who runs it is willing to fit my class schedule in so I can keep working. It all worked out fine."

"That's great," she said. "I'm really glad for you. Sounds like you're doing good."

"Yeah…" He said, trailing off as he looked up to smile at her, this time it looked more somber and forced.

She didn't let that get to her as a thought came to her, making her perk up. "I'm sure you and the guys already celebrated, but I think I deserve a chance to buy you drink for it." His eyes widened in surprise as she got up to head back to the bar, and, without thinking, squeezed his shoulder on the way by. "Only this one time, and only because it's you."

She felt him tense and then pull away just before she could release him. She stopped to look at him in surprise. He looked awkward and nervous again, even more than before. What was going through his head?

"I'm seeing someone," he blurted out, and the words hit her like a knife to the heart. She had no idea why he was telling her this, and honestly wished he hadn't as she felt her chest constrict until she thought she might not breathe again. He wasn't looking at her anymore, scowling down at his beer while his jaw ticked uncomfortably. Killer was staring at him from the corner of his eye, mouth hanging open behind the glass he was about to take a drink out of before freezing at Kid's out of nowhere declaration.

"Oh?" she managed to say, struggling to ignore how dizzy she felt.

"Uh… yeah… You know Bonney, right?" he said quietly.

She took a step back, surprised. He still didn't look at her, or say anything more. She shouldn't be so surprised. They broke up. It had been three months. Of course he was seeing someone else. They were supposed to be moving on, even if he said he was going to try to get his head together and maybe…

She shook her head to clear those hopes. He broke up with her. He broke her heart and he was still intent on pushing her away. It was stupid of her to cling to hope.

She forced the brightest smile she could.

"Oh yeah, I haven't seen her around in a while. She's a great girl. I'm happy for you." She had no idea how believable the last part came out, but she hoped it was enough as she spun away. "I'm still treating you to that drink," she called back as cheerfully as she could, intent on escaping the heavy atmosphere around them.

When she got to the bar, her hands were shaking and she was struggling to breathe.

"Kid," she heard Killer snap, and turned to see Kid stand from the table with a dark growl. He shook off his friend's hold when the blond tried to stop him, shoved his hands in his pockets, but not before she could see the tight fists they were balled in, and stormed toward the door with his head down. "Kid!" Killer called to his friend again, but was ignored completely.

She frowned at his retreat, watched him shove by a few patrons who didn't get out of his way fast enough. His friends rushed after him, Killer shooting her an apologetic smile on the way by that she just barely returned. She had stopped shaking. Watching him run away like that left her drained and sad, resigned to the fact that there was no going back to the way things were, not when they couldn't even salvage their friendship without it being uncomfortable.

"Oh! Kid!" she heard Luffy shout outside just as Kid barreled out the door. "I haven't seen you in forever! How's it going?"

"Not now," she heard him growl, followed by Luffy's startled shout. "Out of my way, asshole."

"What the hell's crawled up Eustass-ya's ass?" she heard a familiar voice ask just before Luffy opened the door to lead the way in.

Luffy hummed, unwilling to comment to the friend she hadn't seen in over a year. She was still frowning at the door, torn between her sadness at Kid's escape and the sight of Trafalgar Law sauntering in with her friends.

She made her choice when she felt someone drape an arm over her shoulder and she turned to glare at Apoo's idiotic grin.

"Cheer up, Dollface. You know I'd be more than happy to comfort you and help you forget all about that prick," he offered.

She wasn't in the mood to put up with him and grabbed a tray she had left sitting on the bar.

"Shut up, creep," she snapped as she slammed the tray into his face hard enough to send him tripping backwards, releasing her from his hold.

She spun away and forced herself to send her friends a cheerful wave as she headed toward the door to greet them.

"Luffy!" she called out, immediately gaining her best friend's attention. He lit up the moment he saw her, and she let herself forget the drama of the last few minutes as his grin lifted her spirits. "Why didn't you tell me Tora-o-kun was in town?"

"He didn't know," Law answered for Luffy, glowering at the man snickering beside him. He slammed his hand down on Luffy's head. "I moved back three weeks ago, but was laying low until this idiot somehow sniffed me out."

"You… Three weeks ago!?" she shouted and smacked Law on the arm. She didn't bat an eye when he glared at her. "Three weeks and you haven't once come to say hello. I'm hurt, Tora-o-kun."

He glared a little longer, then it broke with a snort and she was graced with a lopsided smirk. "If I came by to see you, then Straw Hat would have found out I was here a lot sooner than I wanted. He gave me enough of a headache those times he came to visit me."

She crossed her arms and pouted at him. "And what about the guys? Are Penguin and Shachi with you?"

Law chuckled at her as he made his way by to follow Luffy and her other friends to the table. He gave her a pat on the head as he passed. "They should be here in a minute. Shachi's been dying to see you. You can blame me for not letting them visit."

She huffed at him, but then broke into a smile as she batted him away. "We'll have to get together later and catch up, then. You can tell me all about how horrible it was having Luffy as a house guest. I'll go grab you guys some drinks. Whiskey tonight?" she asked him. When he gave her a nod, she turned to her friends as they shoved a few tables together. "Zoro, are you okay with beer? Shakky hasn't gotten a new case of sake yet."

"Yeah, ale's fine," her friend called. Honestly she could put anything with an alcohol content in front of him, and he would drink it.

"Robin, wine?" she asked.

"Riesling, if you have it."

"I think I saw a bottle in the cellar. Luffy – "

"Meat!" he called out, interrupting her before she could even ask.

She rolled her eyes and headed toward the kitchen. The rest of her friends would take beer or cola, either not drinkers or not picky about what they drank, so she didn't need their orders. If they wanted something else later on, they could ask for it.

With her friends at the bar, and more on the way, she threw herself into work and catching up with the friends she hadn't seen in far too long.

And did everything she could to forget the man who ran away from her.

* * *

"Are you an idiot?" Killer hissed at Kid when he caught up at the car.

Kid just growled at his friend. He was in a bad mood, and it was only getting worse now that he knew that asshole, Trafalgar, was back in town and at the bar his ex-girlfriend was working at. He knew Nami was friends with the guy, she had idly mentioned him in the past, and Kid knew Trafalgar had been living in Dressrosa and was the one Luffy was always visiting. He never felt comfortable with the thought that Nami was friends with that guy. Trafalgar was a doctor, which meant he had money, Nami's favorite thing in the world. And Kid wasn't blind, he knew the guy was attractive with his dark hair and gold eyes and lean tattoo covered torso, and that damn aloof personality, and he was obviously closer to Nami and her friends than Kid ever was.

If she hadn't moved on yet, she very well could with Trafalgar around. Assuming the guy was smart enough to know a good thing when he saw it. And Kid could say for certain that Nami was a good thing. She was a _great_ woman, and seeing her so elated and happy for him that evening only reminded him of that. She could do better than him, and if she knew what was best for her, she'd take off that damn bracelet and forget all about him, move on to be with her rich, handsome doctor friend, even though the thought of it made his heart hurt so much he wanted to puke.

Fuck, he really was an idiot.

He climbed into the passenger side of his car and slammed his head against the dashboard with a loud groan. He was the stupidest fucking idiot he knew, and he knew Monkey D. Luffy, so that was saying a lot.

"Why did you lie to her?" Killer asked as he climbed into the driver's seat. Heat and Wire silently got in the back.

"Because I'm an idiot," he grunted, and slammed his head to the dash again.

"Obviously," Killer huffed. "You panicked and shot yourself in the foot back there. The whole point of letting her go was to give her a chance to come back to you, and you just shoved her even further away and broke her heart even more by lying to her about Bonney."

"I know," he groaned with another smack of his head.

Killer sighed in defeat as he started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Care to explain what you were thinking when you did that?" Killer asked after a moment.

"She hasn't even tried to move on."

"How do you know that?"

"She's wearing my bracelet."

Killer snorted. "You were happy about that. Don't even lie."

"Doesn't matter if I was happy, or not, she needs to give me up and find someone better." And now she might with that damn asshole back in town. He didn't know how close they were, but his gut told him something could develop. If anyone could warm Trafalgar's frigid prick, it was Nami.

Killer sighed again. "Kid… You're a fucking idiot."

"You don't have to tell me that," he growled at his friend.

"No, I think I do because you don't even realize why I'm calling you an idiot," he said, another sigh lacing his tone.

"'Cause I panicked and lied," he answered.

"While that's part of it, especially the lying part…" Killer glanced at him. "If Bonney hears about this, she's going to come after you and cut your dick off."

"Tsh, yeah, 'cause I probably ruined her chances of gettin' with Nami like she wants," he huffed. "I'll deal with her if I have to."

"But Kid, you're an idiot because you're willfully hurting Nami even more. She was looking good and happy tonight until you went and crushed it," Killer continued to lecture. "She's obviously recovering and healing, just like you, and you probably shoved her back a step by rejecting even her friendship."

"What the fuck are you talking about? I didn't reject her friendship." Kid furrowed his brows. "I still want to be her friend, why the fuck would I do that?"

It was a good thing they were stopped at a red light, because Killer had to lean his head back and rub his temples with his next exasperated sigh.

"Um, Boss," Heat spoke up from the back, leaning between the front seats to get their attention. He glanced at Killer with a tired frown, and then looked at Kid when he turned to him. "Nami was just trying to be nice when she offered to buy you a drink. She was showing that she still wants to be your friend and support you. I don't think she meant anything more by it."

"Even when she touched you, it was probably part habit, but she's like that with a lot of her friends," Wire added. "You've seen how she is with her friends, and even us…" He gestured to Killer in the front. "Didn't she kiss him once?"

Kid turned to glare at Killer at the reminder. Sure, it was on the cheek, and it was to show her gratitude for the flowers Kid told him to buy, but it still irked him. Especially when Killer loved to gloat about it for weeks after.

This time Killer wasn't gloating, he was staring at him with a brow raised, daring him to refute what they were saying. Maybe they had a point.

With an exhausted sigh, he sank back into his seat. "Alright, so I might have misunderstood her intentions and panicked, but…" He groaned. "I don't know how to be her friend, even though I want to be."

"Weren't you guys friends while you were dating?" Wire asked. "It's not really any different if you think about it."

"It's completely different," Kid huffed.

"Because you have to talk to her and be nice to her without expecting her to jump into bed with you," Killer snapped impatiently as he turned down the street to their house. "Nami had wanted to be your friend from the start, and you said you were fine with that, even though you used it as a means to pressure her into more. This time around, you have to be her friend without ulterior motives, and you don't know how to do that."

Kid frowned at the lecture in his friend's tone. He was right. Kid was a total asshole for how he went about getting Nami to go out with him, and he was still being an asshole by rejecting her friendship. He wanted her friendship, even though he doubted he deserved that any more than he deserved her love. If he was going to have any hope of getting her back, he had to keep himself in her life, even as she moved on to another guy and gave up on him entirely.

At the very least, he needed to see her excited smile every time he succeeded at something, just like that night, and he wanted to be allowed to call her to tell her any good news rather than wait until a month later to awkwardly mention it when he happened to see her. And he wanted her to do the same for him. He was proud to hear that she was applying for a Master's program, and he wanted to be one of the first people she told when she inevitably got accepted. He wanted to know what she had been up to over the last few months, how her classes were going, how her friends were doing. He wanted her to come to him if she ever had trouble from that old gang again. He wanted to be there for her, and he wanted her there for him, even if that was all they had. Seeing her that night made him realize just how much he missed having her around, hearing her voice, seeing her smile. Just being in her presence made him a little happier than he was before, and he didn't even think about trying to get into her pants. All he could think about was how beautiful her smile was and how great it felt to give her a reason to grace him with it.

He slammed his head to the dash again and let out a defeated groan.

"Guys… Tell me what to do."

* * *

Nami was lucky that Shakky let her leave early to hang out with her friends for the rest of the night. She needed the extra time with them after what happened with Kid earlier, and by the time she was heading up to her bedroom near midnight that night, she could say she had mostly put it to the back of her mind.

At least she had until her phone chirped at her with a new message.

She was just taking her earrings out when the message came, and glanced at her phone assuming it was Luffy or Robin or any one of her friends checking in on her. Her eyes widened and she froze when she saw Kid's name on the display. The shaking to her hands returned as she snatched up her phone to see what he had to say.

'_Hey, sorry about earlier,'_ he wrote.

She frowned at the message and stared at it for a minute, trying to think up how to respond. What exactly was he sorry about? The way he stormed out? The way he blurted out that he had a new girlfriend? That he practically stomped on her already hurting heart? Before she could say anything, he texted again.

'_I still want to be friends with you, I just… I don't know how,' _he explained. _'I can't seem to tell the difference between your normal friendliness and flirting.'_

She snorted in amusement. She supposed she couldn't blame him for that, especially when what little friendship they had before they dated was not exactly a normal friendship for her, and the genuine friendship they developed while they dated was full of flirting and affectionate gestures that weren't apart of her normal friendships, either.

But knowing that he did want to be friends with her, without any possibility of gaining something more, was enough to soothe the last bits of sorrow still lingering from earlier. Kid was still trying, he was just venturing into very uncharted territory with her, and wasn't sure what to do. She supposed the random announcement about his new girlfriend made sense now, even if that still stung. He was trying to tell her there were boundaries, that he didn't expect anything from her because he couldn't.

'_It's fine, I understand,'_ she wrote back, unable to wipe away her smile. This was good, she told herself. They were both moving on, but they could be mature and find a way to hold onto the friendship they had found before, no matter how tough it might be. _'I just want to be friends, too. I was really happy to talk to you tonight and hear how things have been going. So, don't be a stranger, Kid.'_

With her response sent, she set her phone back on the bureau and tried to quell the lighthearted giddiness that came with the small exchange.

"Nami-ya?" Law called from the door, a touch amused when she jumped in surprise and jerked her head around to see him leaning against the doorframe. His brow was cocked and lips curled in a lopsided smirk. "I thought we were catching up?" he asked as he pushed off the door and invited himself into her room, heading straight for her to extend one of the glasses of whiskey he held.

She huffed at him and took her drink to set on the bureau. "I said I would be right down."

Law hummed as he slowly walked around her room, taking in every inch of it while she finished slipping out her earrings. Her phone went off again, and Nami quickly grabbed it to see Kid's next message.

'_I won't be. Wouldn't mind hearing more of what you've been up to,'_ he texted, and once again she found herself smiling.

"Who's that?" Law asked behind her, and Nami jumped at how close he was.

She didn't think about it as she locked the screen and glowered at Law. "A friend of mine I haven't talked to in a while." Her tone was short, clipped, telling him it wasn't any of his business. She didn't want to talk to him about Kid, not if he started asking questions and making her rehash the whole breakup.

Law hummed and sent her a skeptical look as he leaned back against her bureau. He took a sip of his whiskey. "When Straw Hat came to visit me, he mentioned you couldn't come because you were busy with school and your boyfriend," he idly commented. She set down her phone and turned to face him with her arms crossed, gaze set in a glare to warn him off the subject he was broaching. Of course her glare didn't bother him one bit as he went on. "And earlier tonight, I heard him whispering with Zoro-ya about you still having a hard time after the breakup."

Her lips thinned into a tight frown. "And?"

Law shrugged. "And… if that friend is your ex, you don't have to lie to me about it."

Her glare hardened. "I don't want to talk about him."

"I didn't ask you to," Law said flatly. "I just said you don't have to _lie_ about him."

She continued to glare at him for another minute, and Law only stared back impassively as he finished off his whiskey. When his brow rose expectantly, she let out a long sigh.

"Fine, it was my ex," she relented, and snatched her phone to quickly text Kid back.

"Are you two trying to remain friends?" Law asked as he pushed off her bureau to continue his exploration of her room.

"We're trying," she said with a shrug. _'We'll have to talk more later,'_ she texted back to Kid. _'I have a friend over right now, so can't talk. I'll see you around, Kid.'_

She didn't know why she felt guilty about the text she sent back. It felt oddly dismissive to her, but she didn't want to leave Kid waiting for a response while she was talking to Law.

When she turned back to Law, she found him at the side of her bed with her stuffed dog in hand, glaring at it.

"Ah! Put him down!" she ordered, going over to snatch Boss from him.

Law looked at her with a raised brow, mildly amused with her reaction. "I wasn't going to hurt it, Nami-ya," he said, chuckling at her pout as she hugged the dog to her chest. "I was just curious about what such an ugly stuffed animal was doing on your bed. Doesn't suit you at all."

She glared at him and hugged the toy tighter. "He is not ugly," she huffed. Law only continued to chuckle at her response. With a growl, she spun away and stomped over to her bookshelf to set Boss on top, nestled among photos of Nojiko and Genzo. "Don't make fun of him."

"You're rather defensive of a stuffed animal, Nami-ya," he said.

"He was a gift," she snapped hotly. "From someone important to me."

Law's amusement waned at the same time her phone chirped at her with another message from Kid. Law glanced at the cell on her bureau, then back at her, and finally nodded. "I see," he sighed. "How long has it been?"

"How long has what been?" she asked, her tone still clipped, while she went to check her phone.

'_Alright. Later then, Kitten,'_ Kid texted, and once again she struggled not to smile. It felt like forever since he called her Kitten.

"That," Law spoke up firmly, a hint of annoyance that snapped her attention away from her phone. He was frowning at her as he came to stand beside her. He snatched her phone from her hand and tossed it to her nightstand, out of her reach, forcing her whole attention onto him. She frowned up at him. "How long ago was the breakup?"

"I thought you weren't going to make me talk about him," she huffed defensively.

"I'm not. I'm just curious how long it's been," he said, this time softer, more patient. The change in his tone made her relax.

"Three months," she said softly as she grabbed her forgotten drink. She needed to hold onto something, and the liquor certainly wouldn't hurt.

He hummed as he watched her tilt back her drink, swallowing it all in one gulp.

"You need to get over him," he said bluntly as he took the glass from her hand and headed for the door. "If he was cruel enough to break your heart, then he doesn't deserve a second of your time. You can do better."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't even know what you're talking about, Law. Don't butt into my personal life."

He glanced at her from the door, brow cocked, and then came back over to her with a sigh. He carefully held their two glasses in one hand, and reached out to gently take her chin with the other. She went stiff and her lips parted in surprise as he leaned in. She didn't know what he was doing until his gold eyes glanced down to her lips…

And then he was kissing her.

It was light and chaste, and before she knew it he was pulling away, only far enough for her to let out a long rush of air as she tried to grasp some sort of coherent thought from the completely fried mess he left her brain in. The only semi-coherent thoughts she could find were that her lips still tingled and his breath smelled like whiskey. And she had no idea how she was still standing, because her legs felt like jelly. She also idly thought that it was a good thing he was a doctor, because she felt like her heart had leaped out of her chest, and she was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to do that.

She felt his thumb caress her chin, and his breath wash over her lips. Law was as closed off and unreadable as ever as he held her gaze. She had no idea if the kiss meant anything to him, if it had affected him the way it did her. It had to have at least meant something. He wouldn't have done it if he didn't want to. Why in the world did he just kiss her!?

"Forget him," he commanded. "You can do better."

She blinked as he stood straight and spun to walk out of her room without another word.

As soon as he was gone, she let herself fall to her knees. She continued to gape, staring off at the door he had vanished through.

Trafalgar Law just kissed her.

What the hell was she supposed to do now?

* * *

_**A/N:** So obviously the KidBonney part was extremely difficult for me to write since I also ship BonneyNami and have come to a point where I see Bonney as very gay. In this, she's bi with a very strong preference for women most of the time. I had come up with this part of the fic a long time ago, though, before I really got BonneyNami into my head, and so had to keep rolling with it._

_I'm not going to get too into these other ships, though, at least not much. Especially the KidBonney stuff. LawNa might get some attention because that's going to have more of an affect on Kid than anything else. And yes, at this point Law and Nami have been friends for quite some time, even if Law hasn't been living in the area until recently. I might go into their friendship a bit in the next chapter, but not much, because I'm not supposed to be writing LawNa, lol. Though, you can thank Luffy for the LawNa in this because he did purposefully track Law down because he hoped that seeing an old friend again would help cheer Nami up, and maybe help her move on. This is probably the closest you guys will ever see me get to writing a love triangle (or square, or whatever this is), and I hope you guys can endure it because you all should know how much I hate love triangles 99% of the time._

_Also Kid is very aware that his jealousy is pretty hypocritical when it comes to how he views Nami's potential relationships with women versus her potential relationships with men. He's also less jealous over Bonney because he doesn't view her as a legitimate threat for Nami's heart, he doesn't think Bonney's all that serious in her interest, at least outside of the physical, so it's no big deal to him. Now then, if she was serious about Nami as more than a possible sexual partner, then yeah, he'd start getting jealous. And he might have blurted out the lie about dating Bonney in a subconscious attempt to sabotage her chances. Because he's an asshole._

_So yeah, just keep on trusting that I know what I'm doing. And if you want to suffer with me, just listen to lots of Linkin Park (especially Meteora) and Papa Roach, because I spent most of my time writing this with that on and had flashbacks to high school and my first break up. Kid and I suffer together since we share this hobby, lol._

_Oh, and I think a few chapters ago someone had asked if this fic tied into 'Family Antics' - no, it doesn't. I've vaguely gone over the start of their relationship for them in that fic, and while it is somewhat similar (because these two just beg for there to be certain types of drama to them), it is definitely not the same. For example, Kid was already a mechanic when he met Nami in that fic. Also Kid gets to have both arms in that one, too. Which reminds me, I really gotta work on the last two chapters of that someday._


	37. Chapter 37

_Admittedly this chapter has way more LawNami than I planned it to. But once again, trust me on this._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_Moving Forward_

He knew eventually he'd land in the hospital after taking a solid beating. He had honestly expected it to come from one of Big Mom's brats after the whole deal with the casino. He did not expect to run into a very surly, disgruntled Kaidou, big boss in the underworld, in the worst mood imaginable. He hadn't even done anything to the guy, that he could remember, but sure enough the ass decided to take his bad mood out on him and his friends. They had been minding their own damn business, too. Out drinking and partying, living it up honestly for the first time in months. For once Kid hadn't been looking for a fight, but he got one, and woke up in the hospital a day later with every cell of his body screaming in pain.

He woke to the sound of people talking in the hall and a monitor beeping beside him. He shifted in an attempt to sit up, but froze as pain lanced down his spine from his neck. He groaned and groggily reached up to the sore spot on his neck and found a collar there stabilizing it.

"Remove that, and you won't be leaving here on your own two feet," a voice said, low and calm, and frustratingly familiar.

With a great deal of effort, he turned to his right to see Trafalgar Law hovering around the bed beside him, scrawling away in a clipboard. His growl of annoyance was caught in his throat when he spotted a mane of blonde hair when Law shifted to the side. Killer's hair was limp and still matted with blood around his temples, but that was the least of his concern. One side of his best friend's face was mottled with bruises and his jaw looked to be wired shut. He could see one of his arms in a cast, and a few bandages on his chest. Worst out of all that - he was still unconscious.

"He'll be eating from a straw for a few weeks," Law explained distractedly as he finished jotting down a few notes and finally turned to him. "But he'll be fine once he comes out of sedation. The fracture to his arm was minor, and there was no hemorrhaging of brain tissue. There was some internal bleeding in his abdomen, one fractured rib that will make breathing uncomfortable for a few weeks. Compared to you, he was shown mercy."

"Doesn't look like it," Kid grunted before Law shoved him back to lay in the bed. He barked a sharp curse when he once again felt every muscle in his body scream with pain, but Law ignored him as he waved a pen light between his eyes. "What the fuck kind of doctor are you?"

Law ignored him again as he pulled away to scribble more notes in his chart. "The kind who just saved your life," he muttered after a minute. "According to witnesses, Kaidou tossed you around like a rag doll. We got you into surgery to remove a damaged artery causing major edema in your brain. There was also trauma to your spinal cord, thus the neck brace, though I suspect with some rest you won't notice any long lasting effects of the injury. Your heart did stop for less than a minute in surgery due to stress, but I managed to restart it." He flipped the chart shut and stared impassively at him. "You're welcome."

"Tsh, asshole," he muttered.

Law held up his middle finger.

Before he could snarl out a quip about his shitty bedside manner, he was distracted by impatient shouting out in the hallway.

"I don't care what the doctor says! You called me here, so let me see him!" he heard Nami scream before the door burst open and she came in with a nurse hot on her heels.

His eyes widened in shock at Nami's frantic and angry appearance, and despite the stab of pain that raced through his neck, he snapped his head around to Law. He didn't know why Law looked as surprised as he was, but he ignored it in favor of growling up at the bastard.

"Why the fuck did you call her?" he growled.

Law's expression relaxed back into his usual unreadable stoicism. For a brief moment, though, Kid caught an unmistakably annoyed scowl before he looked down at him with a flat stare.

"I _didn't_," Law said. "The nurses took your cell phone and called whoever was listed as an emergency contact."

Kid's brows furrowed. He was certain he had changed his contacts around after he broke up with Nami. "Killer's my contact."

"And Killer was admitted with you," Nami snapped, waving off the nurse still trying to drag her back out of the room. "And apparently he was smart enough to have a second emergency contact in his phone. Which is _me,_ because everyone thinks to call me when they're in the hospital."

"Why the hell are you getting angry with me!?" Kid shouted at her. "I'm not the one who called you!"

"I'm angry because I want to know what possessed you to get into a fight with Kaidou!? Are you insane!?" she shrieked.

"I didn't start the damn fight, woman! I was minding my fucking business when that giant bastard came and sucker punched one the guys, then decided to take his foul mood out on the lot of us! Not my fault that bastard was angry and looking for blood," Kid hollered back.

"You could have run away!"

"He hit one of my friends! And then me! Running wasn't an option!"

"You could have been killed!"

"Well I wasn't!"

"Actually, you did technically die in surgery," Law added unhelpfully.

Kid and Nami turned their glares on him.

"You stay out of this," Nami snapped. "This is your fault even more than it's his."

"How is it my fault?" Law asked, his voice raising as his temper thinned at the accusation.

"Kaidou's been rampaging in the streets ever since you and Luffy got Doflamingo arrested. Kid wouldn't have gotten hurt if _you_ hadn't decided to pick a fight with a mafia boss!" Nami yelled. Law glared at her, apparently unable to refute her logic. She had a good point. Kid had heard all about Doflamingo's arrest thanks to a source handing over the evidence the cops needed. Didn't take a genius to figure out that source was Law, especially after hearing that Luffy got into a fight with the boss and knocked him out long enough to let the cops arrest him. "Ah! And what do you mean he died in surgery!?" Nami shrieked as Law's comment finally sank in.

"His heart stopped," Law answered, his tone cold as he continued to glare at Nami.

Kid forced himself to relax as he looked between the pair. This was the first time he had a chance to see Nami in a month after they agreed to maintain their friendship. They had chatted through texts from time to time, but he hadn't made any effort to spend time with her. They were both busy, anyway, and he was still determined to give her space to move on. She hadn't mentioned anything about seeing anyone, but the longer he sat in the middle of their cold-standoff, the more things were clicking into place.

Killer had said he saw Nami having coffee with Law a week ago.

He didn't have a chance to ask if his suspicions were correct. Nami broke her simmering glare first and came closer to his bedside. Her temper had abated, and she gave him a sad smile as she gently eased down onto the bed at his hip.

He swore he could hear Law's teeth grinding.

"I still think you're a reckless idiot," Nami huffed. "But I'm glad you're okay."

Kid grunted and looked toward Killer's bed. He wished his friend was awake. He could use his opinion in this mess he was about to fall in. Granted, with his jaw wired shut, he doubted Killer would be any help.

"You didn't have to come," Kid said gruffly.

"Of course I did," she said with another irritated huff. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye to see her cheeks puffed in annoyance. "My friends are in the hospital. I wasn't going to abandon you here." He forced himself not to smile at her stubborn loyalty, not with Law hovering at the end of his bed. He could feel the daggers the man was glaring dig into his skull. The asshole probably wished he had let him die on the table. "How are the others doing?" she asked, looking over at Killer's bed.

"That asshole said Killer would be fine," Kid said, nodding his head toward Law whose eyes narrowed even further in annoyance. "I just woke up, though, haven't heard how the other guys are."

"It appears you took the worst of the beating. Your other two friends were able to stay conscious long enough to call the cops and get an ambulance. A few bruises, both have concussions, but they should be discharged in the next day or two," Law answered, as cold and distant as ever.

Kid nodded. "I told them to get away, call for back-up." He glowered at Killer. "Don't know why Killer came back for me; he should have run with them."

"He's your best friend, Kid. He couldn't turn his back on you," Nami said solemnly. She gave his hand a gentle pat and stood from the bed. "I'll go check on the other two while I'm here. Do you want me to call Bonney?"

"Huh? Why would you call her?" he asked, brow raised in honest confusion.

Nami rolled her eyes. "Probably because she's your _girlfriend_."

His mouth fell open. Right. He forgot he told her that. Still, he _really_ didn't want Bonney there. She was pissed enough at him after he told her about the slip-up. If she caught him in a moment of weakness, he was as good as dead.

Before he could tell her not to bother, she waved it off and headed for the door. "You're obviously still groggy. I'll give her a call. Franky, too, since it looks like your arm got pretty mangled." He looked down at his left arm to see it missing, and then cast his gaze around the room until he spotted it on a table across from his bed. He could see the skin was torn where rods broke through, while the cuff that connected to his shoulder was reduced to shredded wires. "Since your friends should be discharged soon, I'll see if they want a change of clothes from your house. I'll grab you a bag while I'm there," she continued to say, her mind fixed on what they needed. She was obviously used to being the responsible one coming in to help clean up her friends' messes. "I'll be back in a bit."

Kid glowered at her back as she headed out into the hall. His frown only deepened when Law took off after her with an impatient growl. He shut the door only a crack, letting Kid eavesdrop when Law called after Nami.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he heard Law hiss. He was trying to keep his voice down, but his temper was on razor's edge. Kid was surprised to hear Law straining to remain calm. As big an ass as he was, the man's temper was usually pretty even.

"Tell you what?" Nami asked innocently.

"Your _ex_," Law prompted, and Kid's eyes widened as he realized just why Law was pissed.

He heard Nami sigh in a way that Kid knew meant she rolled her eyes. This was not going to be a good fight to witness, but still he strained to listen as closely as he could.

"What about him?" Nami asked, huffy and impatient and undoubtedly unhappy with the conversation Law was broaching. That attitude was one that usually rankled Kid, and he could tell it was doing the same to Law.

"You dated _that_?" Law bit out, and Kid growled at the subtle insult in his tone.

"Yes, I dated _him_," Nami shot back. "What does it matter? You never cared about who I dated before, why are you acting like it's a big deal now?"

"That was before I knew it was Eustass-ya. I thought you had more sense than to date a man like him."

Kid growled again, this time for the unspoken insult Law was leveling on Nami. She did have more sense than to date a man like him, he just forced her to ignore it.

"_You_ have no right to judge me or my past relationship, Law," Nami snapped back, and Kid could just imagine her getting into Law's face as she yelled. "You know absolutely _nothing_ about my relationship with him. You don't _need _to know anything about it."

"I think I do when you're determined to remain friends with that idiot. I told you to forget about him."

"He's my friend, Law! I'm not just going to turn my back on him because you say I should!"

"He isn't just any friend."

"Why? Because I dated him?"

"Because you _loved_ him," Law snapped. "And seeing how easily you dropped everything to come here today, I suspect you still do."

Kid sucked in a breath as he listened to Nami's silence. He could practically feel the tension radiating from the hall. Law was waiting for her to refute what he said, and Kid was just _waiting_.

"I love all of my friends, Law," Nami finally said, her tone terse and cold as she carefully avoided outright denying what Law said. "If a friend is hurt, then of course I'll drop everything to see them."

The pair fell into another tense silence, and Kid swore the whole hospital had come to a standstill waiting for the argument to end. It was eerily quiet out there unlike only a few minutes before.

"Whether you like it or not, Law, that man is my friend. I don't care what condescending opinion you have of him, he is someone special to me, and I don't regret a single second of the life I had with him," Nami continued, firm and strong. Shamelessly honest. Kid let out his breath, long and ragged, as what she said sank in. "I won't forget him as easily as you want me to. I won't forget him, _period_. And if you have a problem with me holding onto his friendship, then…." She trailed off as her voice began to quiver. She sniffled, and he heard the slide of her heel on the linoleum floor as she spun away. "If you'll excuse me, I have two more _friends_ to see and calls to make," she said, her voice once again finding its strength.

"Nami-ya…" he heard Law call to her as he listened to the click of her heels retreat.

"I'm done talking to you," he heard Nami snap back to him from down the hall.

Law growled out a curse, and then Kid watched him come back into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. He pulled up a chair beside the bed and threw himself in it. Kid met Law's simmering glare with his own. He was honestly surprised the jerk came back in at all.

"So you're banging my ex-girlfriend?" Kid asked with a low snarl.

Law's eyes narrowed. "No, I'm not," he answered. Kid raised his brow skeptically. "We've been taking things slow since she's still getting over _you_… apparently."

"Well that little show you put on out there ain't doing you any favors to help get you in her pants faster," Kid growled. "And if it didn't hurt so fucking much to move right now, I'd be slamming my fist down your throat and ripping your spine out that way for what you just said to her, asshole."

Law's lip curled in a sneer, and Kid struggled to sit up and lean toward him.

"Since ya did keep me alive long enough to witness your catastrophic fuck up, though, I'm gonna be _real_ generous and give you some advice," Kid bit out lowly.

"I don't need any advice from the likes of you," Law growled back. "You're the one who broke her heart, after all. Anything you have to say will only make things worse."

"You wanna bet?" Kid laughed. "Since Nami obviously didn't tell you shit about us - which doesn't surprise me since she doesn't like to talk about _anything_ painful if she doesn't have to – I'm sure she didn't tell you why we broke up." Law's brow rose as Kid pointed toward the hall. "That. Out there. That shit you just tried to pull with her, that's why we broke up. My worthless ass hurt her in a jealous, possessive fit, and I let her go before I could hurt her again."

"I didn't hurt her out there," Law pointed out flatly.

"You might not have left any damn bruises, but I guarantee your words hurt a lot more than my grip on her ever did. I tried to tell her how to live her life, who to spend her time with, when I had no fucking right to. And if you want whatever you got going with her to actually get somewhere, then don't make that same fucking mistake." Kid slumped back into bed with a tired grunt. "She deserves better than that."

Law sat in silence for a long moment, staring impassively at him as he thought. Then he gave a wry snort and looked away. "Never thought I'd see the day I agree with you on something." He glanced back from the corner of his eye. "Or hear you say something reasonable."

"I say a lot of reasonable things. Arrogant pricks like you just don't seem to listen," Kid growled.

They fell into silence again. Law idly scratched his trim beard as he stared out the window.

"Are you trying to keep Nami-ya's friendship out of some hope you might one day get her back?" Law asked suddenly.

When Kid didn't answer immediately, his gaze swiveled back to him. With a pursed frown, Kid grasped onto the only answer he could give.

"I just want her to be happy," he said.

Law nodded solemnly, and pushed himself out of the chair. Kid watched him go to the IV bags hanging at the side of the bed, glaring when Law began to fiddle with one.

"What the hell are you doing, bastard?" he growled.

"She'll be happier if you're not here," Law said, lips curling up with a sadistic smirk as he increased the morphine drip.

Kid's eyes widened as he realized what he was doing. "Oi, you bastard. Don't you dare…" He trailed off as he began to feel his body go numb, his pain and cares leaving him. Oh, that felt better. At least it did until he felt his mind fog over. "You better not be trying to kill me with that shit, asshole," he muttered groggily.

"I doubt I have enough in this bag to kill you, even if I wanted to," he heard Law grumble on the edge of his consciousness. "And I don't want to see Nami-ya crying over a worthless idiot."

He was too dazed to be angry over the barb, and gave a quiet snort as his eyes slipped shut and he fell into a blissful, painless sleep.

He never knew he and Trafalgar could actually agree on so much.

* * *

Nami had never been so frustrated with Law. She knew he could be cold and arrogant, and certainly wasn't nice to most people, but she never thought he could be such an ass to her. At least not such an obviously jealous one.

They had hardly begun dating a month ago, they were still in that awkward stage of becoming more than just friends. That stage was proving harder than Nami thought it would be. She was trying to move on from Kid, especially now that he had shown how easily he had, and Law seemed to understand that it would take some time for her to open up to another relationship again. Other than that first kiss, he hadn't put pressure on her for anything more than that, had kept some distance when she needed it, and was patient every time she pulled back. She was finally starting to forget her feelings for Kid, or at least turn them into bittersweet memories, but the fight she just had with Law brought everything back to the surface.

She felt as though he had ripped open a fresh scar with his accusations.

Her friendship with Law had always been a peaceful one. They certainly had their disagreements, but Law wasn't the type to lose his temper over everything, and most of the time he let things drop without further testing her temper. He was also more reasonable, and they tended to see eye to eye on a number of things. If they didn't agree on something, he was more than capable of calmly explaining his point of view, if he cared enough to, and sometimes he even listened to what she had to say on the matter. And they were sympathetic to each other's plight when it came to the whirlwind that was Luffy in their lives.

She always thought Law was cute, in his own quiet, stoic way. She never imagined dating him, though, not with how cold and distant he could be, even with his closest friends. As well as she could read him and understand what he was thinking at times, there were certain emotions he never showed to anyone, especially any that might give away an attraction. She was honestly surprised to find out he held any interest in her at all, and after thinking it over, she decided it couldn't hurt to see what she could make of that.

He _was_ handsome. _And_ a doctor. And he showed her more respect than he did most other people, so she didn't think he'd ever mistreat her. The decision to date him had certainly been far easier than her decision to date Kid.

But now she was questioning all of that because Law had to go be a jealous ass when he had absolutely no reason to be.

She didn't need to tell him anything about Kid. She had told him she didn't want to talk about him from the start, and Law never tried to push her into sharing more. If it had been Kid, he would have nagged her any chance he had to tell him more, but Law wasn't the same. He respected her privacy, respected that the subject of her prior relationship was a painful one, and didn't push at her walls in some effort to make her share every hurt she endured in life. He knew well enough that it wouldn't go well. He was the same way, after all. She only knew about some of his traumas through snippets his friends shared, and the bits he spoke about with Luffy, just as he only heard bits and pieces of the things she had gone through. Their whole friendship was built on mutual trust and an understanding that some things just would not be talked about unless they needed to be. Just because they were kind of dating, didn't mean she had to open up her heart to him.

By the time she returned to the hospital, she had calmed down enough to stay focused on what she needed to do. She had called Bonney on her way to Kid's house, and spent ten minutes listening to a curse filled tirade that made absolutely no sense to her, before the woman took a breath, apologized for Kid's stupidity, and then hung up. Nami really had no idea what she meant by that and shrugged it off.

Wire had handed over his key before she left so she could get into their house, and once there, she packed the guys a few things. Heat and Wire only needed new clothes and some toiletries, but Wire wanted his handheld game to play with while waiting to be discharged, and Heat asked for a book, so she grabbed those. Kid and Killer would be in the hospital longer, so she focused on finding them things to keep them entertained. She grabbed Kid's cell phone charger and headphones so he could listen to music, as well as a few textbooks she found littering the floor beside his bed. She packed up some of Killer's books, and then found some old drumsticks and a percussion pad that might keep him entertained once he woke up.

It was strange being in their house again after so long, so she didn't stay any longer than she had to.

Wire and Heat thanked her when she dropped off their bags, and then glared at her when she said they owed her fifty dollars for the errand. She was kidding, of course, but she enjoyed seeing their withering glares for the brief moment they thought she was serious. She skipped off with a laugh, calling over her shoulder that they could repay her with a favor, and grinned when she heard their annoyed hisses.

Back in Kid and Killer's room, she found Kid asleep and stood in the door for a second to frown at him. She hated seeing him in that state, weak and fragile. And hearing that he nearly died made her heart sink in her chest. He was only human, but with his strength and bravado, even she sometimes forgot that.

She was kept from sinking too deep into fears of losing him permanently when she spotted Killer move in his bed. He had been sleeping before and looked horrible, but as she watched him push up onto his uninjured arm, she smiled in relief knowing that he would be fine. She quietly made her way to his bed and took a seat beside him.

"I grabbed you a few things since you're going to be stuck here a while," she whispered, careful not to wake Kid. Killer grunted as he watched her open his bag to pull out his things. "Wire and Heat will be discharged in a few days, so if you need more things, I'm sure they'll get them for you. But hopefully this will do for now." Killer grunted again. "I probably should have gotten you a notebook to scribble out messages," she teased. His face was swollen, but he somehow managed to glare. It fell when she leaned over to brush a kiss to his forehead. "Thank you for taking care of Kid," she explained. "Just try to keep him out of the hospital for a while. My heart won't be able to take another near-death experience."

Killer gave her a short nod, and Nami turned to set Kid's things on the bedside table. Once she had his phone set on the charger with his headphones out, she searched out the television remote and handed it over to Killer. It looked like Kid was out cold and wouldn't be waking again any time soon. But he looked peaceful, which meant he wasn't in pain. And he needed his rest.

She lingered at his bedside longer than she probably should have, brushing her hand through his messy hair in a vain hope of taming it. He hardly stirred, save for a quiet groan as her fingers brushed over a bruised temple, and he turned into her touch. He was covered in bruises and sutured cuts, and some of his hair had been shaven away on the right side during surgery. He wasn't going to be happy when he saw that, but at least he was alive, and would likely have some new scars to show off.

"Nami-ya," Law called from the door. Despite his soft tone, he still surprised her, and she jumped, jerking her hand from Kid's hair. He didn't look as annoyed as he had earlier, but his frown said he had closed off whatever emotions he was feeling so she wouldn't know if he was angry or not. "Come down to my office when you're done in here."

She nodded and watched him slip out without another word. She decided it was best if she talked with him sooner, while she was calm and he was pretending to be calm. She gave Kid's hand a quick squeeze as she got up, and went back over to Killer's bed to do the same.

"Get some rest," she whispered to Killer. "And text me if you need anything."

He nodded and squeezed her hand back.

When she found her way to Law's office, his door was open a crack to invite her in, but hopefully ward off anyone else who might try to talk to him. He didn't like being disturbed in his office. She slipped in and quietly shut the door, the click of the latch breaking Law from the chart he was staring at. Neither of them said a word as she took a seat on the opposite side of his desk, and they both sat there for a long moment in silence.

It broke with Law's frustrated sigh.

"I was out of line earlier," he admitted, much to her surprise. Even if she knew he was, he was as stubborn as everyone else she knew.

She pursed her lips and sank back into her chair with her arms crossed. "Yes, you were. You've never asked about Kid, so I don't understand why you got so upset about him now."

Law stood with another sigh and made his way to her side of the desk. She watched, wary, as he crouched in front of her and met her gaze.

"Because I hadn't expected your ex to be him," Law explained. "I never imagined you would date, much less care so strongly for, a man as ill-tempered and obstinate as him."

Nami couldn't help but snort. "A year ago, I would have said the same thing about myself. Obviously there's a lot more to Kid than you know." She let out a long breath, and relaxed when she saw Law wasn't being as unreasonable as he had been earlier. "But you don't have to worry. What he and I had is in the past. We're both moving on."

Law frowned thoughtfully, his gaze on her legs as he gently ran his hands over her knees. She felt the last traces of tension drift away with his touch, but she could tell Law was still uncomfortable. She leaned forward and took his hands in hers.

"Tora-o-kun," she purred. He glowered up at her as she leaned closer. "_Trust me_. Please."

He sighed again and squeezed her hands. "I do…. I still can't believe you dated him, though."

She rolled her eyes. "Who did you think I had dated before?"

Law shrugged. "Not him."

"I've never seen you dislike someone so much. Well, outside of the Donquixote family. Why do you have such a problem with Kid?"

"He's infuriating."

"Please," she groaned, rolling her eyes again. "You don't know the half of it."

"And yet you dated him," Law pointed out, smirking up at her. "He's also bossy and rude."

"You're bossy and rude," Nami said. "Actually, I'm pretty sure you're ruder than he is. He just doesn't bother to mask it with polite speech."

"I suppose you have a point there."

"And anyway, I'm bossy and rude," she added. "Yet you like me."

"You have a cuter smile," he said, knowingly sweet as he grinned. "And he's arrogant about it."

"So this is a pride thing?" she asked, once again rolling her eyes. "All you men are simpletons when it comes to your pride."

"I'm not a simpleton," Law argued flatly.

She sent him a withering look. "Yes, you are. And you can be just as infuriating as anyone I know. You're an idiot, too." He glared at her. "You're the idiot who got all bent out of shape today because you found out my ex-boyfriend is a guy you happen to not like. Considering the very small number of people you _do_ like, you probably shouldn't have been so surprised."

He looked away with an irritated hiss, but his ire waned when she leaned in to peck his cheek. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, once more closed off, but she could see a hint of curiosity in his gaze.

"I'm here right now, trying to see if we can still make this work, but I need you to stop being such an ass over this," she said softly.

He pursed his lips, but after a moment he gave her a short nod and leaned in to steal a quick kiss. "I'll do my best."

"Thank you," she said, smiling into another kiss.

"Anyway, I believe he gave me his blessing to date you after you left," Law said with a cocky grin.

Her brow went up. There was no way Kid would do that. It had to be morphine.

"In his own way, of course," Law admitted. "He threatened to rip out my spine first, but then told me not to make the same mistakes he did."

Hearing that made her heart constrict painfully in her chest, but she held her smile in place. He really was letting her go.

"He just wants you to be happy," Law added quietly. "And that's a sentiment I can respect him for."

Her smile came a little easier as Law leaned in for another kiss. She hummed when his lips drifted along her jaw and he settled on a spot just below her ear. She had a feeling he was still smothering his jealousy as he sucked and nipped hard enough to leave a mark, but the sensations tingling down her spine made difficult to care.

Not until he chuckled.

"He might regret that when he wakes up, though," he commented idly.

"Why do you say that?" she asked, mind still in a haze from his affections.

"His new girlfriend tried to murder him while he was sleeping. I think it's safe to say that relationship won't last," he said, nibbling down her neck.

"Wait, what?" she asked, shoving him back as the news cleared her pleasurable daze.

Law glowered at her. "She came in screaming bloody murder and tried to shake him awake. I had to pull her off him before she damaged his healing spinal column. I don't think she would have killed him, but she was threatening him enough for me to have the guards cart her out. I'd rather not have Eustass-ya in my hospital any longer than he already has to be."

Nami knew Bonney was pissed off when she called her, but she couldn't understand why she was that upset. Was it because the hospital called her, and not Bonney?

"Don't worry about it," Law ordered, drawing her attention back to him when he grasped her chin. "Your ugly mutt is fine, and I have him on enough morphine to keep him from feeling anything for at least a week." She frowned at him, but he tugged her down to press his lips to hers. "Nami-ya, you don't have to worry about him."

She huffed, but returned the kiss he gave her. When he pulled away to stand up, she pouted at him, earning a quiet chuckle as he nudged her chin.

"I have a couple of days off this weekend," he commented, leaning back against his desk. "Come over and spend the weekend with me."

"I have a paper to write," she said as she stood. Law would have to get back to work soon, and she need to go call her research group after running out in the middle of their lab course when the hospital called. "I can come over for a few hours to watch a movie, but that's it."

Law grabbed her by her jacket and pulled her into a loose embrace. He was smirking deviously as he held her to him, and she couldn't help but be suspicious of the look.

"Bring your laptop and books. You know I won't disturb your studies," he said.

"That look tells me you have every intention of disturbing my studies, Law."

"Perhaps a bit," he admitted. She rolled her eyes, but he tugged her in closer to press his lips to her ear. "I didn't like fighting with you today, and I want to give you some extra attention to make up for it."

She let out a heavy sigh, exaggerating it to sound more grudging than she felt. The fight must have unsettled him more than she thought it had if he was willing to admit as much. She wrapped her arms around her neck, and pulled back to frown at him. The look broke into a teasing smile quickly enough.

"Fine," she relented. "And I suppose I could take some time this weekend to show Doctor Law my appreciation for all his hard work."

His smirk turned into a devilish grin. He seemed to approve of that plan wholeheartedly.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and untangled herself from his hold. "I need to see what I missed at school today, and you need to get back to work. I'll come over Saturday morning," she said.

Law nodded as he followed her to the door. "I'll text you if an emergency keeps me late. But, if it does, you can still come over. I'm sure Shachi will be happy to make you breakfast, and he and Penguin can keep you company until I wake up."

"Alright," she said, giggling. "I'll see you then."

"See you," he said, snagging one more kiss before letting her go.

As she headed back to the parking lot, she spared one more minute to look in on the guys. Kid was still sleeping and Killer was content watching a crappy day time soap opera. When he saw her looking in, she gave him a wave and smile, and then slipped away to check on the other two. She found Heat and Wire fighting over the remote to their TV, and decided they would definitely be out of the hospital soon.

She left the hospital in a better mood. Her fight with Law settled easily enough. Her friends would be okay, even though two of them might be out of commission for a few weeks with their injuries. She was just glad that she got to see them all again, and without the awkwardness of last time.

And Kid showed that he had completely let her go. If he could do that, then so could she.

At least they were still friends. That was enough to make her happy.

* * *

_**A/N: **Seriously, trust me. They needed this._

_And obviously her relationship with Law is going to be a strained one in this because he's a jealous and possessive asshole, too. He's just better at pretending otherwise thanks to years of repressing all his emotions._

_And so, when I kind of changed the direction of this fic and came up with this chapter, I originally planned on Kid getting the crap beat out of him by Kaidou... AND THEN WHAT DO YOU KNOW, IT HAPPENED IN CANON! Dude just can't catch a break. I really hope my tulip is okay. But at least in this fic, his getting beat up let him hear Nami say she didn't regret being with him, and even defending him to her new sort of boyfriend, and maybe not denying that she still has feelings for him... Even if he has to be good and not kill new sort of boyfriend, no matter how much he wishes he could. Kid is trying very hard to think of Nami's happiness. (Actually, surprisingly enough, it is not that hard for him. He's well aware of what he has to do to make her happy, or give her a chance at being happy... He just doesn't like it.) He's doing his best to be a mature adult._

_Next few chapters you should be seeing more and more KidNami again. Lots of friendship fluff. That gets fluffier. And fluffier. Seriously, trust me, this is good for them._


	38. Chapter 38

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_6 months_

Kid could finally say he was okay after letting Nami go. He still had feelings for her, but they weren't at the forefront of his mind and he could finally talk to her like any of his other friends, without the overwhelming guilt from hurting her or the incessant urge to tackle her and make her his again. Hearing what she told Law at the hospital honestly helped.

She didn't regret their relationship, no matter how painfully it ended. She valued his friendship and his place in her life too much to let it go, even if she had to give up another relationship to do it. She stood by her convictions, proved her loyalty, and that meant the world to him. He wouldn't fail her again. He was determined to see that she remained happy, no matter what it took. And that was why he gave Law advice. If she liked that bastard and could be happy with him, then he'd see it stayed that way.

And if Law ever made her cry, he would take a sick pleasure in making good on his threat and tear that man apart limb from limb.

With his twenty-fifth birthday upon him, Kid did his best not to remember his last birthday and how amazing it had been. He was determined to make this one a good one, too. Even if he didn't have a girlfriend to spoil him with affection. His life was good again, and as long as he got to see Nami's smile from time to time, he didn't feel like he was missing out on anything.

When he and the guys went to Shakky's that weekend to celebrate his birthday, they had extra reason to party. Killer's broken jaw was finally healed up, and that meant he didn't need to drink his beer through a straw anymore. And on top of that, Kid could actually turn his head to the right without his whole neck cramping on him. They were back in action and not about to waste a moment of enjoying it.

They walked into the bar to find it as busy as ever, but Kid realized why when one corner called out to him with loud cheers and whistles. Luffy was standing on top of the table, waving them toward a corner filled with balloons and banners. Kid looked at his friends, completely confused.

"I ran into Nami a few days ago," Wire explained, gesturing to the woman pouring out pitchers of ale behind the bar. "Mentioned you and Killer were healed up and planning to celebrate this weekend. Straw Hat was there to overhear and decided to use it as an excuse to throw a party."

"Kid! Tell Sanji to let me have cake now!" Luffy hollered over the group. "I want cake!"

Kid snorted and led his friends over to the tables. Law and his friends had even been wrangled into joining, and he spared the bastard a polite nod as he took a seat across from him. Nami was there a second later, handing out pitchers of ale while Robin unloaded a tray of empty pint glasses.

"Here's to you never finding your way to my operating table again," Law said in a mockery of a toast once they all had full glasses.

Kid grinned as he raised his glass. "I'll make sure they take me straight to the morgue next time to save you the trouble of sending me there yourself."

Law grinned back. "It would be no trouble at all. In fact, I'd be pleased to be the one to send you off."

"Heh, I'll kill you first, bastard," Kid growled with feigned malice.

Nami ended their banter with a sharp smack to the backs of both their heads. She brushed off their sharp glares.

"Play nice you two," she lectured. "This is supposed to be a party. No bloodshed."

Immediately after she said that, Zoro shouted something at Sanji that ignited a fight between those two, and Nami had to break that apart. She said no bloodshed, but both men were nursing bloody noses after she smacked a tray into their faces.

"So, is Bonney-ya still trying to murder you?" Law asked, a knowing glint in his eye. While Nami hadn't understood the reason for Bonney's anger, Law figured it out easily enough after dragging the woman off of his unconscious body. Killer said Law almost let Bonney kill him, anyway, once he heard her mention the lie he told Nami about them.

"We broke up," Kid said quickly with a glance toward Nami as she snapped at Zoro about something.

"Oh? What a surprise," Law said sarcastically.

"What's a surprise?" Nami asked as she made her way back to the table.

"Eustass-ya and Bonney-ya broke up." Law's grin was twisted with dark amusement. The bastard was obviously trying to set him up for something. He just didn't know what.

"Really? She didn't mention anything to me when I saw her a few days ago," Nami huffed. Kid glared at Law when the asshole chuckled. "But, that's too bad. Sorry to hear."

"Yes, it's very sad," Law agreed, that sarcastic lilt only getting stronger. His devious smirk was wiped away with another sharp smack to the back of his head, and he turned to growl up at Nami.

"Stop being an ass," Nami lectured. Law's eyes narrowed on hers. She merely glared back. "You enjoy others misery too much, I swear."

With a roll of her eyes, she brushed him off and turned back to Kid. He tried not to glare as she casually leaned against the side of Law's chair, but he couldn't help it when the bastard took the opportunity to gloat and wrapped his arm around her waist. Kid hated being jealous, especially when he couldn't do anything about it.

"I might have something to lift your spirits, though," Nami chirped as she reached into her shirt, pulling his gaze from the glare he held on Law. His brow raised as she pulled out a slender envelope. "I've been trying to get my hands on these for over six months. We'll call it an early birthday present, and a congrats on the recovery. For both of you." She gestured over at Killer beside him with the envelope and then held it out for Kid to take. "I think I outdid myself with this one."

"Sure are cocky about a little card, woman," Kid muttered as he opened the envelope to pull out a birthday card. He glared at the cover, and then her, when he saw it was a card for a 5-year-old. She just added a two in front of it.

"What? It had robots on it. I know how much you love your robots," Nami said, but the smirk she was trying to bury said otherwise. Law gave a snort of laughter as he sipped his beer. No doubt the ass thought it was hilarious, too.

Kid growled, but chose not to pick a fight with either of them. He was too eager to see what Nami actually got for him, though he did his best not to show it.

There was no hiding his surprise when he saw two concert tickets inside. Front row. Right in the pit. With VIP access backstage. For his favorite band. A band that rarely came to their city, with tickets that were nearly impossible to come by unless you spent a week refreshing the ticket page before they went on sale.

"How the fuck did you get these?" Kid asked, unable to restrain his excitement as he grinned up at Nami.

"I know people who know people," Nami shrugged indifferently. Her subtle smile said she was pleased with his reaction. With a haughty flip of her hair over her shoulder, she beamed at him. "It's great being friends with a princess."

Kid gave a short bark of laughter and looked back down at the tickets. It was all he could do. He wanted to jump up, tackle her with a hug, and that would only lead to him suffocating her with a hard kiss. And _that_ would only start a ton of drama with Law, which would end up hurting Nami. He refused to hurt Nami. So he forced some semblance of control and kept his thanks to a grin.

"I tried to get four tickets so you could go with all the guys, but it was a pain just getting two," Nami huffed. "I didn't know so many people liked that band."

"They just don't tour often, and stick to small venues. Pre-sale always goes fast with them," Kid explained. "And no worries, we'll just rub it in Heat and Wire's faces for a few months." He laughed at his two friends glaring from the other end of the table. "We'll get tickets to the next RockFest, bastards. Don't look so put out."

"I tried guys," Nami said, waving her hands before her defensively. "But the tour manager was an ass. Even after I blackmailed him, he swore he could only get me two. I might be able to hook you up with regular tickets, but it won't be in the pit or come with backstage access."

"What dirt do you have on their manager?" Kid asked, brow raised.

Nami snorted. "I didn't. I just vaguely threatened that I'd tell his wife all about what he does while on tour with the band, and he started begging me not to say anything. He caved when I said I had a tape. Apparently that didn't surprise him, so I can only imagine what he gets up to on the road."

Kid grinned. "Cunning and manipulative as ever, Kitten."

"At least I didn't have to use Hachi to get them," Nami said. "While Vivi and I were digging into the band and their manager, we found out the drummer's brother is in prison. Same block as Arlong."

He glared at her sulky pout. "Nothing's worth using those connections, Nami."

"I know." She perked back up quickly enough. "And anyway, now I'm determined to find real dirt on that guy."

"Why?" Kid asked. "You already got the tickets."

"You never know when you'll need leverage with someone," Nami reasoned. "I have dirt on just about everyone I know." She glanced around the bar. "Actually, I have something on everyone in this room."

All eyes in the bar turned to her, except for Robin who was snickering at the table beside theirs, and Luffy who had somehow gotten his hands on the cake he wanted.

"What?" Nami asked innocently. "It's not my fault you're all a bunch of bragging low-lifes who don't know how to keep your mouths shut."

They stared in stunned silence for hardly a second, and then the whole bar erupted into chaos. Kid sat back and laughed through it all.

He might not be able to go home with a gorgeous woman that night, but after watching grown men get on their knees and beg while handing Nami wads of cash to keep silent, he could safely say it was still a great way to celebrate another year of being alive.

* * *

_8 months_

Nami was nearing the end of a busy night at Shakky's. A long Saturday night had turned into an exhausting Sunday morning as the last drunken stragglers lingered at the bar. Most were sobering up on water and peanuts at that point, a few had curled up in booths to nap while waiting for their cabs or a sober friend to pick them up. An obnoxious group of college students were still going strong at the pool table, though Nami had begun watering down their drinks hours before after she found one of them passed out in the bathroom over a toilet full of vomit. Shakky had him sleeping it off in the back office, and was already tallying a hefty bill to pay for the time they spent keeping him alive.

They still had another hour before Shakky made last call, and Nami was looking forward to getting off her feet. She planned to spend all of Sunday in bed, and anyone who thought to change those plans would be corrected with her fist.

Law slumped into the bar near three in the morning with an expression that said he had the exact same plans as her. He was still wearing his dark blue scrubs from work, with a black and yellow hoodie to fight off the late February chill. As exhausted as he looked, he managed to give her a strained smile before collapsing on a bar stool.

"Rough night?" she asked sympathetically as she poured him a glass of whiskey.

The only answer he gave was a grunt as he leaned on one fist and took the drink she handed to him. He downed it in one gulp, and then sank against his hand with one eye shut.

"You should have gone home if you're so tired," Nami lectured as she poured another splash of whiskey in his glass.

"Felt like seeing you," he muttered around the rim of his glass. He sipped at the fresh drink, taking his time as he began to relax.

"Aren't you sweet," she teased. "You're still paying for your drinks, though."

He glowered at her.

"Hey, it's not my bar," she said, hands raised in self-defense. "Shakky is not in the business of handing out liquor."

"She lets you drink for free all the time," he pointed out.

"That's because I'm her favorite." Nami leaned over the bar with a grin.

"She also makes the bar enough to cover for her free drinks," Shakky added as she came out from the kitchen with a sandwich for one of the other customers. "But since you're Nami-chan's boyfriend, I'll let you drink free tonight. As long as you make sure our customer in the break room hasn't died of alcohol poisoning."

Law groaned. "I'd rather pay."

Nami couldn't help but pity him, and leaned in even closer. "I've had a good night in tips. I'll take care of your bill." He gave her a tired smile, and she brushed a subtle kiss to his cheek while whispering, "But you'll owe me for it."

He snorted. "I'm not taking you shopping."

"I never said you had to," she huffed. "I was thinking you could come over when I'm done. I'm only planning to sleep after my shift tonight, but I would love the company."

He gave a sigh that sounded more disgruntled than he was with his lopsided smirk. "I suppose that's an even trade off."

"Think you can hold out another hour?"

"I should be fine," he muttered, crooking his finger to beckon she come closer so he could sneak a quick kiss.

She pulled back and saw the frat boys waving at her for another round. She sighed and rolled her eyes. Law glanced over his shoulder at the customers while she went to mix their watery drinks.

"Are you trying to scare my customers away?" Nami asked when she caught him glaring.

"Yes," Law said. "They're loud."

"They're drunk frat boys. Of course they're loud," she said, rolling her eyes again as she loaded their drinks on a tray. "And probably shitty tippers," she grumbled under her breath just loud enough for Law to hear as she made her way over to them. He snorted behind her back.

"I'm surprised you're still serving them," Law said when she returned.

"I've had them on flavored water and tonic for the last few hours. The guy in the break room's with them. I've never seen anyone so bad at holding their liquor down," Nami said, shrugging. "They shouldn't even be remotely drunk now, but they're obnoxious idiots who don't know any better."

"You must have the patience of a saint to put up with them," Law said.

"I'm just used to worse behaving men," she said with a laugh. "And I'm still hoping one of them has their daddy's credit card that I can help myself to."

Law chuckled and held out his empty glass to signal for a refill.

"I haven't had a chance to see you all week," Nami commented as Law drank. "Lot of emergencies?"

He grunted, and she just barely held back the urge to roll her eyes when that was the only answer he gave. He rarely liked to talk about his work. She supposed she could understand. It was stressful, and that was when his patients made it through surgery. Considering his exhausted appearance that night, she could guess not all his patients survived.

"Oh, I heard from Haredas," Nami said, perking up as she sought to turn conversation to something lighter. Law looked at her, brow raised. "I should be receiving something on my Master's program in the next few weeks."

"You got in?"

She nodded. "Well, not officially. He said the admissions panel felt my application was the best out of all the candidates. So good that they talked to him about pushing me for a different program."

Law's brows furrowed. "Different program."

"It's overseas with a sister university," she said.

Law froze in the middle of taking another sip to look up in surprise. "Overseas?"

His tone was flat. He didn't seem as excited as she was. "Ten months," she explained, hoping the reason behind his hollow reaction was his exhaustion. "But when I come back, the university might consider hiring me on as a research associate as soon as I finish my thesis."

Law remained silent for an agonizingly long minute. She hadn't realized how tense his reaction made her until he finally smiled and she felt herself relax.

"Your university knows a valuable talent when they see it," he said. "Do you have to reapply for the new program?"

She shook her head and was about to explain that they just needed her to approve of the program change, but shouting outside, that sounded suspiciously like singing, distracted her. The door burst open to reveal Kid and Killer, the former belting out a song while the latter was excitedly air-drumming and head-banging. Nami laughed sharply at their boisterous moods, while Law winced and groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

Their concert was that night, and she guessed that they had just gotten back. Kid had a new brown t-shirt on, the band's logo emblazoned on the chest. Another shirt was hanging from his back pocket. The white fabric looked torn, and she noticed a few speckles of blood. Kid didn't look injured, which meant he won whatever fist fight he got in. His arms were covered in black leather spiked bracelets, he wore an old silver skull pendant, and his black and red headband was just barely keeping his hair from falling into his face at that point. She swallowed her laughter at the maroon lipstick and black eyeliner he wore for the concert. She had seen him in make-up before, but he really caked on the eyeliner for the concert.

Compared to his friend, Killer was tame. He had his own spiked bracelets and a pendant to match Kid's, but he forewent the make-up, and his hair was tied back in a thick bun at the back of his head that was neat enough she assumed he had pulled it up after the concert.

"How was the concert?" Nami asked as Kid and Killer threw themselves into barstools beside Law.

They ignored Law's simmering glare, too busy grinning at her. She grabbed a bottle of aspirin from beneath the bar and handed it over to Law with a glass of water. He took both gratefully.

"Awesome," Kid said, his grin never wavering. He smacked Killer on the back, his friend drumming away on the bar top. "'Cept this idiot forgot his earplugs, so he's pretty much deaf right now."

She laughed when Killer grinned dumbly at her in the midst of his drumming. "Glad to hear it, though I'm surprised he's the one who forgot anything."

"He does it every concert." Kid gestured at Killer's drumming hands. "We blast music while we're getting ready, and he starts doing that until he forgets half his shit."

"Maybe you could remember his things for him," Nami reprimanded.

"No way. He agrees with everything I say when he's deaf and doesn't nag me half as much," he said with a laugh.

Nami rolled her eyes. "Well, what do you guys want to drink? We're closing up soon."

"Just stopped in for a nightcap. We'll be out of your hair in a bit," Kid said, waving her off. "Rum and coke for me. And he's wasted enough to drink anything you give him, so make it an Irish car bomb."

"I'm surprised you're the sober one," Nami commented as she began to make their drinks.

"Since he goes fucking deaf at any concert we go to, I just let him have a good time and drink himself under the table. Figure it's only fair with how often I do it," he explained.

"How considerate of you," she said while setting his drink in front of him.

He turned to Law and finally returned the glare he had been receiving since he walked in.

"What's stuck up your ass now?" Kid asked.

Law's glare only darkened in answer, and Nami rolled her eyes at his rude response.

"He just got off work, Kid. Leave him alone," she explained.

"Tsh, fine," Kid grumbled.

"Anyway," Nami said as she set Killer's drink in front of him, along with a glass of water and tray of peanuts. "As I was about to say before these two idiots interrupted…"

"Oi, don't be so mean, Kitten," Kid huffed.

She ignored him and leaned over the bar in front of Law again. "It's the same application, the panel just needs to know that they can consider it for the other program."

"Are you going to do it?" Law asked, noticeably relaxing with her attention back on him.

"It's a great opportunity, and a chance at a solid career right out of the program. I'd be stupid not to."

Law nodded his agreement.

"What program?" Kid interjected, earning another glare from Law.

"They want to consider me for an overseas Master's program. It's only ten months, but it comes with a job offer at the end of it," she explained.

"Another overseas one? Damn, they really love you at that school," he said, grinning proudly. "Gonna cost more?"

"I'll get a stipend for living expenses, so it shouldn't be too much more out of pocket for me. And coming back to have a job possibly waiting for me, helps a lot."

Kid hummed. "This for the oceanography or atmospheric studies?"

"Atmospheric. Most of my research has been focused on that, anyway."

He grinned stupidly. "That's awesome. You're gonna end up making a great weather girl after all this, Kitten."

She smacked his arm playfully at the tease while he laughed.

"Why do you call her Kitten?" Law asked suddenly, glowering at them.

"Hm?" Kid frowned in thought. "I've always called her Kitten, at least since I learned she's a cat thief who had to help herself to my wallet. Got a problem with that?"

Law scowled at him, then looked away. "Call her whatever you like."

Kid's brow rose as he regarded Law. Nami frowned at her boyfriend as he tossed back the last of his whiskey. Sighing, she grabbed the bottle and poured him another drink.

"Oh, the weather shit reminds me," Kid said suddenly as he got up off the stool. He fished around in his pocket until he found a small velvet bag. "We had some time to kill before the concert, so went shopping. Got ya something to say thanks for the tickets." He tossed her the little bag, and then smacked Killer's shoulder to get his attention. "Killer, too," he said, while gesturing that Killer get his own gift out.

"You didn't have to get me anything," Nami said as she took the second bag from Killer.

"Call 'em belated Christmas gifts, then," Kid said with a shrug.

She wasn't about to turn down their presents, and quickly opened the bags to see what they got. She cooed when she spotted the little gold charms in the bags, and dumped them into her palm to take a better look at them. The one Kid handed her was a storm cloud with a lightning bolt dangling from it, while the one from Killer was a cute treasure map.

"Thank you, guys," she said, grinning up at them. "They're perfect."

They wore identical proud grins as she clasped the new charms onto her bracelet. Once they were in place, she raised her arm and shook the bracelet to show off the new pieces. It was then she noticed Law scowling at the jewelry.

"What is it?" she asked.

His lips pursed. "I was thinking of getting a charm for that last Christmas, but Straw Hat said that I couldn't."

"Oh? Luffy said that?" She tried to keep her voice even and unbothered, but Law seemed to pick up on her nervousness as he glared. She caught Kid frowning out of the corner of her eye, and Killer had slumped forward over the bar as he stared at them.

Law turned to glare at Kid. "Is that bracelet from you?"

Kid glared back, while Nami shifted on her feet. After a moment of thought, he broke the stand-off with a hiss and shrugged.

"Just a stupid birthday gift. If you wanted to buy her a fucking charm for it, I don't care," he grumbled, scowling into his drink before tossing it all back. Nami didn't believe a word of what he said, and she knew Law didn't either as he climbed from his stool.

"Law? Where are you going?" she asked frantically as he swallowed down the last of his whiskey.

"Home," he said, and turned for the door. "I'll pick up my tab later."

"Law," she called after him as she raced around the bar and followed him out. "What's wrong?"

He didn't say anything until they were out in the parking lot and she called to him again. He stopped and let his head fall back with a sigh.

"I'm just tired, Nami-ya," he muttered.

"It's not just that," she huffed. "Are you upset over my bracelet?"

"No," he said, turning to face her. She could tell it was lie by how closed off his expression was. He rubbed his eyes and that was when she noticed the tick to his jaw that gave away how frustrated he was. "I'm just… I'm too tired to do this right now."

She pouted up at him. "Law…"

He didn't say anything more as he cupped her face and spared her a short peck. "I'll talk to you later."

"I thought you were going to come over tonight?" she asked as he turned back toward his car.

"Maybe another time," he said, waving back at her. "Good night, Nami-ya."

She stayed outside long enough to watch him drive away, frowning the whole time. Guilt tugged at her heart. She should have told him about the bracelet sooner.

With a resigned sigh, she headed back inside. She would make it up to him later. There was nothing she could do now.

"Sorry," Kid grunted quietly when she got behind the bar. He had a new drink in hand, hiding his scowl as he sipped it. "Didn't mean to get you in trouble."

"It's not your fault," Nami sighed. "I didn't think he would care who gave me my bracelet."

Kid glowered at her. "Tsh, Idiot," he muttered into his glass as he took another drink.

She gaped at him. Did he actually just call her an idiot?

"Ya should've known better after his little fit at the hospital," Kid explained. "Ya gotta stop doin' that shit, Nami."

"What?"

"Not talking about things. Just 'cause you don't want to talk about shit, doesn't mean other people don't need to know what's going on. And he has a right to know who that bracelet came from."

"It's just a bracelet," she huffed as she idly toyed with the new lightning charm.

Kid's brow rose with a pointed look. Her pout deepened, and he let out a sigh.

"The bracelet might just be a bracelet at first glance, but anyone who knows who gave that to you, knows it's a lot more than that," he said, leaning forward. He gestured for her to hold out her arm so he could spin it on her wrist in search of a charm. "I might have given this to you after we broke up, but I still bought it while we were together." When he found the charm he was looking for, he held the chain to draw her attention to it. It was the solid gold heart. His voice lowered so only she could hear the solemn tone as he spoke. "This bracelet meant something to me when I picked it out for you. And it meant something for you when I gave it to you. I'm happy you like it and still wear it, but it ain't worth screwing things up with that bastard."

She pulled back her arm to cradle the jewelry against her chest protectively.

"Don't give me that stubborn pout, Nami," Kid said flatly. "You know I'm right."

She sulked even more. "How are you managing to be the voice of reason about this?"

Kid snorted and slapped a hand on Killer's back. "'Cause whenever he's this wasted, someone's gotta step up and be the sensible adult." Killer groaned, and Kid turned to his friend, pushing the tray of peanuts closer to him. "Eat your peanuts, buddy." Nami snorted as Killer lazily plucked one up to push in his mouth and then went for his water. "See? Cyrano's out of commission after all the Jagerbombs he did in the VIP lounge."

Nami snickered. "Did he finally tell you the reference for that?"

Kid chuckled as he nodded. "But seriously, Nami. Ya gotta stop holding back so much."

She sighed. He was right, and she hated it.

"Oi, Nami," Killer grunted, and she looked to him thinking he might have some sage advice of his own. Maybe he would say something to refute Kid. Instead, he just waved at her. "Come over here."

She glanced at Kid in confusion. He merely shrugged.

Warily, she walked around the bar as he gestured her over. She stopped as he turned his stool around to face her, and waited patiently as he grasped her by the shoulders. Once again, she glanced at Kid for an explanation, but he seemed just as confused. Amused, but confused.

Killer kept a hold of her shoulders as he stood, and her head angled back to stare up at his terse frown. She was really at a loss when he grabbed her head and shoved it back down.

And then he started drumming.

"What the hell is he doing?" Nami shrieked as her friend lightly tapped out a beat on her head, trying to look over at Kid who was in danger of falling out of his stool, he was laughing so hard. "How drunk is he?"

"I told ya, he's useless like this! Why do you think he never drinks this much?" Kid said through his laughter. He calmed down enough to smack at his friend's arm. "Dude, stop that. You're making a damn fool of yourself."

He stopped to pout at Kid, and Nami desperately tried to fix her hair while his attention was off her. She screamed when he promptly turned back to start over again.

"At least he ain't using your boobs," Kid said through more laughter.

Killer paused in his beat and looked down. Nami screamed and smacked him before he could act on that idea, and then rounded on Kid to punch him for giving Killer the idea in the first place.

"You're giving me a three-hundred-percent tip for this," Nami huffed, making a hasty retreat back behind the bar where she was safe.

Kid snorted. "Greedy witch," he said in good humor as he pulled out his wallet. "I better get him home, anyway. Before he starts gettin' ideas of drumming on Shakky's rack."

"Yes, you should," Nami huffed and snatched up the cash Kid tossed on the bar.

"He can drum on me if he pays me ten grand for it," Shakky called over from the register as she began to close out the last few tabs. She winked at them. "He's cute enough to get a discount."

"Oh no you don't," Kid said, dragging Killer away when he stared thoughtfully at the older woman. "Payin' Nami off is expensive enough. Don't go gettin' the rip-off queen involved." When he got one of Killer's arms around his shoulders to cart him out of the bar, he turned to point at Nami, a stern warning in his scowl. "You know what you gotta do."

She rolled her eyes and waved him off.

"Night, Kitten," he called to her on his way out.

"Night, Kitten," Killer echoed at the door.

"Oi! Only I get to call her that, bastard!"

She snorted and watched the door shut behind them.

"Your ex is right, you know," Shakky said. Nami pouted at her, but the woman didn't look ready to take back what she said. "When Eustass-chan says something that selfless and reasonable, you know that means you're definitely in the wrong."

"Damn it," Nami hissed. "I'll call Law tomorrow. It'll be easier to talk to him when we're both not so tired."

Shakky nodded, and waved her off to clean up the bar and kick the last patrons out.

She got home an hour before dawn, exhausted and spent, but was surprised to see Law's car parked by the garage in the back alley. When she climbed off her bike and went to the stairs, she spotted him sitting in a chair on the back deck, lazily lounging with his head resting on the banister. He pried open an eye as she approached him, and then shut it again when she stopped right in front of him.

"Couldn't sleep," he explained.

"So you decided to sleep on my deck?" she asked, lightly teasing him.

He hummed and held up a hand, gesturing she come closer. When she was in reach, he tugged her down onto his lap and forced her to recline against his chest.

"I thought you were mad at me," she said as she let herself relax in his hold.

"I wasn't mad," he muttered, rubbing his cheek against her hair when she rested her head on his shoulder. "Confused. Annoyed. Not really mad."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she whispered.

He grunted, his arms squeezing her tight.

"I understand what you feel for him," he said after a few minutes of comfortable silence. "I don't like it, but…" He trailed off with a sigh. "I know how hard it is to let go of someone precious."

She knew he was venturing toward emotions he didn't like to acknowledge, neither of them did. She turned to bury her face against his neck, and sighed when his hand ran through her hair.

"I can't even imagine how hard it is when he's still there," Law muttered. "Hard enough putting the past behind you when they die."

She nodded. His hold tightened when she sniffled.

"I'll stop wearing the bracelet if it bothers you," she forced herself to say.

She felt Law shake his head against hers. "No. It means a lot to you. I won't make you do that if you don't want to."

She smiled, glad he wouldn't force her to give it up. She didn't really want to.

Law chuckled as his hand swept through her hair. "I always knew you were a very loving woman," he remarked. "You would have to be if you could find it in your heart to care so strongly for a mutt like Eustass-ya. And I suppose, if you weren't, I wouldn't have been so attracted to you in the first place."

She couldn't help but quietly laugh at his admission. She found it funny that a cold, distant man like Law would be interested in her because she was the opposite. Just like Kid claimed his interest stemmed from how nice she was, as opposed to his surly, short-tempered demeanor.

"You can still a be a cold-hearted bitch, though," Law added on as an afterthought. "But I like that side, too."

She poked his stomach for the bitch remark, but laughed as he pinched her waist in retaliation.

"So we're still good?" she asked.

Law hummed as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "We are."

"Then do you want to come inside? Or were you planning to sleep out here?"

"Inside," Law grunted, his lips at her temple. "Definitely inside." He kissed her cheek. "Don't think I'll be sleeping any time soon, though."

She moaned happily in agreement when his lips found hers.

Making up with Law after a fight was certainly far calmer than it ever had been with Kid.

It was too bad that calm was only hiding a dark storm.

* * *

_**A/N: **Are you guys trusting me yet? Do you see what I'm doing?_

_You guys have no idea how happy I am to have my drummer!Killer headcanon be canon. Like, seriously, I am so happy. Also obviously I headcanon that he gets incredibly drunk at concerts, while Kid stays sober. Kid actually doesn't like to drink at concerts at all, maybe a couple of beers, but that's it. He's too pumped with adrenaline and enjoying the music to want alcohol involved. The buzz will actually dampen his excitement, and he's already got a short enough temper, why give him something to make it worse? And yes, he is capable of being a reasonable adult, and I still get annoyed that so much of the fandom seems to think he's a gigantic idiot, just 'cause he's got a short temper. The dude was spitting out nothing but sensible statements in the auction house. He is completely capable of being insightful and calm. When he cares enough to be._

_As for Law, obviously he is very capable of sympathizing with Nami's feelings. It's why so many of us ship them, after all. But sometimes those feelings, that heartache, is a little too similar to his own and dredges up old hurts he never got over to begin with. Also, Law is a very needy man, who pretends not to be. As much as he wants to provide emotional support for Nami and be patient about this, he has his own emotional needs that he wants her to see to. Honestly, writing LawNa in this is killing me on two sides, and coming up with all the negative/ unhealthy aspects that can be found in their relationship, too, is probably part of the reason I have a block on them right now (except in this one fic where they end up taking up large portions of the chapters now, lol)._

_But okay, hope guys enjoyed the super quick update. As I said, a lot of these last chapters will be short blurbs focused on specific interactions I want Nami and Kid to have after the break up, and the chapter titles will probably just be time lengths for a while (because titling these are hard)._


	39. Chapter 39

_I'm just gonna say, I listened to 'Oh No' by Bring Me The Horizon while writing the last half of this, and it fits. Painfully well. So enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_11 months_

Nami was ecstatic. Had been for a week, ever since she checked the mail to find a fancy packet and brochure for her Master's program, complete with scenic pictures of the campus and old world city around it. Robin had been with her and was already planning to visit her. Apparently the city boasted a number of historical spots she hadn't explored before. She would probably spend a month there getting lost in ancient ruins. Nami told her that she was more than welcome to stay with her for as long as she wished.

With the trip hovering on the horizon, Nami threw herself into preparing for the move. She was flying out in two weeks to find a flat and spent a sleepless night crunching numbers to determine exactly what she could afford. Law had been there the whole time, lounging on the couch beside her with his laptop out. He found a few places she loved, but then she looked at the prices and glared at him for getting her hopes up. He had expensive taste, just like her. But unlike him, she couldn't part with her hard-earned money so easily.

He was banned from helping her apartment hunt after that.

Her classes were set to begin early August, and Nami's planning turned frantic when she realized how little time she had to get ready. She had to end her lease, pack her things, put them in storage at Franky's house, and ship off whatever she wanted to bring overseas. Not wanting to save everything for the last minute, she decided to begin packing that very weekend. As she was hunting through the house for odds and ends she didn't need - knickknacks, movies, extra kitchenware, clothes, _everything_ – she found more of Kid's things that she had missed when they broke up. Obviously he hadn't needed them, and a few of them were items they bought together when she moved into the townhouse, but she figured he might want them back eventually.

She also found one of his t-shirts, balled up and forgotten beneath her bed, but it was one he lent her to sleep in all the time, so she decided she would keep it. It would be more comfortable to wear on a thirteen-hour flight.

She called him in the midst of her cleaning and packing Saturday morning, brushing off his surly growl when the call woke him. Apparently he had a late night out, and she forced herself to ignore the feminine whine she heard in the background, but he said he'd be over later to pick his things up before rudely hanging up on her to go back to sleep. He arrived early in the afternoon, cup of coffee in hand to fight of the obvious hangover. She glared at him from the door, and was met with an exhausted one in return.

"What the fuck's that look for?" he grumbled as she shifted to the side to let him in. "I'm here, ain't I?"

"You were a rude asshole to me when I called," she huffed.

"You should'a known better than to call me at the crack of dawn," he growled.

"It was eleven in the morning," she snapped, storming by him to the living room where she had slowly been filling a box with his things.

Kid winced, and then groaned as he rubbed at his temple. "You're too noisy. I'm runnin' on two hours of shitty sleep. Go easy on me, Kitten."

Nami rolled her eyes, and forced away the pang of jealousy that came as she realized why he hadn't slept. "Well, I'm sure you had a great time with her, so it was probably worth the loss of sleep," she still snapped. Kid scowled at her, but his brow rose curiously, likely picking up on the annoyed tone in her voice. She waved at his things with a huff. "I found a few more of your movies. One we bought together, but I know the guys already have it at the house, so I don't need it if you want it. There's a coffee mug and some of your shot glasses in there, too."

Kid hummed as he shoved the items around in the box. "I don't even know her name," he muttered.

"Whose?" she asked, confused at the comment.

"Chick I went home with last night," he explained, standing straight to turn a flat look on her. He pressed a finger to her forehead and shoved lightly. "And you ain't got a reason to be jealous, woman."

She huffed at him, and then spun toward the back door. "I'm not jealous," she argued, stomping off. "I just don't like being hung up on."

"You do it to me all the time," he said, chuckling.

She glared at him over her shoulder as he followed after her. He graced her with a lopsided grin, and she looked away with another huff. "Anyway, the only other thing I have that you might want is the grill."

"You ain't keeping it?" he grunted.

"I don't use it enough," she said, shrugging. "Sanji-kun's used it more when he comes over, but he has that large one at the house, along with two extra charcoal grills and a smoker. He doesn't really need another one. He said he would take it if you don't want it."

Kid pursed his lips in thought as he followed her out to the deck. He winced at the bright ray of sunlight bouncing off the steel grill. He had sunglasses perched on the top of his head, and slipped them back down as he moved to a side where the light wouldn't aggravate his headache more. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah, I'll take it. Better than the one we got now, so Killer will be thrilled," he grunted. "Think Franky can load it in his truck and drop it off for me? It ain't gonna fit in the back of my car unless I take it apart, and I don't want to put it back together again. That was a fucking headache."

"You're the mechanic. You're supposed to like taking things apart and putting them back together," she said, snickering when he glowered at her. The grill had been a nightmare for him to assemble. They had bickered until she gave up trying to help him and retreated inside to ignore his cursing for the rest of the afternoon.

Kid collapsed into a deck chair and sipped at his coffee. "So what are you packin' up for now? Thought you had until August?"

Nami took a seat in a chair across from him. "I'm moving overseas; I need to have everything in order before I leave. I'd rather not save it all for last minute, especially since I'll be over there for a week apartment hunting. And I'll need to be out of here by the end of July so the owners can bring in a new tenant."

"What are you doing with all your shit while you're gone?"

"The guys are already clearing out a section of their garage to store my furniture. They said they'll park outside until I'm back if my stuff takes up too much space."

Kid nodded as he finished off his coffee. "How's that asshole handling this move?"

"He has a name, you know." She glared.

"Tsh, I know that. I'll use that bastard's name when I want to," he grumbled. "So? He pissed you're leaving?"

Nami sighed. "He doesn't seem upset. He knows it's important to me, and he can't tell me to stay when it's for my career. It's only temporary, anyway. I'll be back before any of you guys miss me."

Kid chuckled. "I don't know. Ten months is a long time. And you ought'a know you'll be missed plenty."

She smiled. "I plan on visiting when I can. And if Law wants to come see me, he's welcome. Robin's already planning to fly out with me and stay a few weeks to help me settle in over there."

"Hmm, suppose he'll live," Kid mused, frowning at her. "Still. You said he doesn't _seem_ upset. Tells me you think he might be."

Nami glared at him. Her relationship with Law wasn't his business. She didn't know why he felt the need to pry. Then again, he was always curious when it came to her personal life.

"He wasn't that thrilled when I told him about the program in the first place. It was the same when I got the news that I was officially in. But, he's always like that. He keeps most of his thoughts to himself. Who knows? Maybe he's planning to surprise me by flying out to see me, too."

Kid snorted. "I guess that's true enough. He ain't going with you to apartment hunt?"

She shook her head. "He can't get away from the hospital. And anyway, he's not allowed to help with that anymore."

"Anymore?"

"He has expensive taste."

Kid chuckled. "Like you don't?"

"I refuse to pay full price for anything, and always negotiate for deep discounts. Rent on a flat isn't as easily negotiated, so I can't look at the high end places. Not unless I'm prepared to spend more out of pocket when the stipend only covers half the rent."

He hummed as he leaned forward over his knees. "You going over alone this first trip, then? He ain't even going to keep you company?"

"No, Zoro's going with me to help intimidate any landlords that need it," she explained. "All of my friends wanted to come, but I was not about to spend a week keeping them out of trouble. I'll end up with only a day to find a place and have to settle for the cheapest I see."

"You're still going to have your hands full with that idiot. You're gonna lose him over there, I guarantee it."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm tempted to put him on a leash." She smiled as Kid laughed. "But, I'm used to keeping him in line. It's a lot easier when it's only him. I always tell him that he's lucky to have me as a friend. A directionless idiot like him needs someone like me around."

"He'd literally be lost without you, Kitten," Kid said, grinning.

Nami laughed. "He's literally been lost since he was a kid. According to Luffy, he was lost when they met… And he never found where he was trying to go. Sure, I blame that on Luffy as much as I do on Zoro's hopelessness, Luffy's sense of direction is almost as bad and he has a short attention span, but I still couldn't believe it when I found out."

Their conversation trailed off as Kid glanced down the alley to a black car heading toward her house. "Ain't that Trafalgar's car?" he asked, scowling.

"It is," Nami said as she looked at her watch. "He's taking me out to dinner later. He's early."

Kid grunted and stood. "Then guess that's my cue to get out of here. Don't want to accidentally get you in trouble again."

"It should be fine," she huffed, but stood with him to see him off. Law parked just as she opened the back door to let Kid in, waving for him to head off to the front while she watched her boyfriend climb out of his car and glare up at them.

"Doesn't look fine," Kid grumbled. "I'll call Franky about the grill. Let me know if any more of my shit turns up. Swear I'm missing a shirt."

She beamed up at him. "I think I found everything," she lied. When his brow rose in suspicion, her smile only grew. "But, I'll let you know."

"Alright, I'll see ya later," he said with a pat on her head as he walked into the house. He waved at Law as he began to climb the back stairs. "Trafalgar."

"Eustass-ya," Law said with a middle finger raised.

Kid snorted and rolled his eyes before turning to lead the way into the house. Law followed her in and hung back in the dining room as he watched Kid grab his things, glowering at the man's back when he headed out the front door to his car.

"What was he doing here?" Law asked once Kid was gone.

"I found a few things of his." Nami shrugged. "He'll be coming back with Franky sometime to pick up the grill, too."

"He's taking it?"

"I offered. He helped me pick it out when I moved in, thought I should ask if he wanted it before letting Sanji take it," she said with another shrug.

Law hummed quietly as he went into the living room. He glanced around, and Nami didn't know what his displeased frown might mean.

"You've gotten a lot packed already," he idly mused. "You still have time."

"I have maybe a month and a half." He was still frowning at a box of movies as she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. His back was tense, but he relaxed with a subtle sigh when she pressed against his back. She squeezed him tight when his hand brushed over her forearm. "Hey, are you going to be okay with this?" she asked, tilting her head back to see him glance over his shoulder at her.

Law stood silently, his face angled away. After a minute, he let out a long breath and squeezed her arm. "I'll be fine," he said quietly as he turned to wrap his arms around her head, smothering her against his chest with a small chuckle. "And even if I wasn't, that won't change anything. You have to go. I can't stop you from leaving."

"But you want to, don't you?" she asked with a teasing pout. "You're going to miss me too much while I'm gone."

"I'll just tie you up in my bed for a week when you get back to make up for the lost time," he said, smacking a hard kiss to the top of her head. "Maybe longer," he mumbled into her hair.

Laughing, she pushed out of his hold and spun for the stairs. "Or you can always come visit me," she suggested as she headed up to her room. "I'm going to take a shower before dinner. You're welcome to join me."

She heard his dark chuckle, and wasn't surprised when he casually followed after her. In her room, she stopped at her bureau to slip off her bracelets and remove the clips and tie from her hair that were failing to tame the locks after her morning of cleaning. Law brushed a gentle hand against her lower back on his way by, making her smile as a shiver raced through her from the touch. Maybe they could just skip dinner.

"What's this?" Law asked behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder to see him holding up a black shirt. The shirt she found under her bed and decided to keep. _Kid's_ shirt. With Law standing there, holding it between two fingertips as though it were diseased, she knew he wouldn't be fooled by any lie of who that shirt belonged to. It was pretty obvious, after all. She might have a few shirts with skulls and crossbones on them, but not a goat's head and pentagram with the name of a band she didn't listen to scrawled in a splatter of blood. It was also three sizes too big. She probably should have just given it back, but she decided on keeping it. At the very least she could claim to have successfully stolen _one_ think from Kid. So, hoping Law wouldn't make a big deal out of it, she schooled her expression into casual apathy and shrugged.

"An old shirt," she said, turning to face him as she worked on her hair.

His brow rose with an unspoken question.

She rolled her eyes. "I found it under the bed while I was cleaning. I used to sleep in it all the time."

"Did you just forget to put it in the box with his other things?" Law asked, his voice low and accusing. He already seemed to know the answer to that.

"I decided to keep it." She shrugged. "It'll be more comfortable to wear on the plane. I'm wearing some of Zoro's old sweatpants that I kept after they got mixed into my laundry, too." She felt his glare was unwarranted, and huffed at him. "It's just a stupid shirt, Law."

Law sank onto her bed with a heavy groan and tossed the shirt against the wall. He removed his hat to rake his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I really don't want to argue about this now," he muttered, seemingly to himself.

"Then don't. There's nothing to argue about," she said.

Law snorted, the sound tired and annoyed. "There's plenty to argue about," he mumbled, again his voice so quiet that she assumed he didn't mean for her to hear it.

"Like what?" she snapped, crossing her arms as she glared at him.

"Did you find any more of his things?" he asked.

"No, at least not yet."

"If you do will you keep them, too?"

"Of course not. You saw him take all his other stuff."

Law pointed at the shirt. "Not that."

Nami rolled her eyes. "So I'm keeping a shirt. It is not that big a deal. I have a ton of clothes that belonged to my friends. You're not getting upset over them."

"You didn't date any of them," Law growled. "You weren't given those clothes to wear to bed with them." He paused, brows furrowed in thought. "You didn't, did you?"

"Of course I didn't," she yelled. "You are being needlessly jealous over a shirt, Law."

"Am I?" he asked. "You two dated for less than a year. You broke up nearly a year ago. And yet you're still finding his things in your home, and you're still clinging to whatever you have left with him."

"I am not clinging to anything," she huffed.

Law gestured to the dog sitting on her bookshelf, the bracelet she just set on the bureau, and then the shirt crumpled in the corner where he threw it.

"So I have a few mementos," she argued. "I thought you understood?"

"I do," he growled. "You know I do… But… Maybe I understand _too_ well."

Law's voice softened at the end, suddenly calm and distant. It felt like a stab to the chest that left her deflated as they silently stared at each other. The tension in the room broke as Law slumped forward with a sigh, dragging his hand through his hair again.

"I know I don't say it, Nami-ya, but I do care about you," Law said, his gaze trained on the floor, avoiding her eyes. "I _want _this to work, but… I can't be your second choice."

"You're not…" He looked up to glare, and her voice caught in her throat. She felt herself wither at the look, leaning back against the bureau when the strength left her legs.

"You two weren't together that long, but you were building something you wanted to last," Law said, perfectly calm and rational. His emotions were locked away, far from her reach. He was speaking to her as a friend. Not a boyfriend. "He left pieces of himself everywhere in your life. You're still finding all of them, and every time you do, you use them to stay connected, to keep him in your life just as he was before. You're holding to the hope that you can have that relationship back, that's why you refuse to let go of him."

"I'm not…" she tried to argue, but Law shook his head, cutting her off again.

He gestured around the room. "Nami-ya, is there anything of mine in your home right now? Clothes? Dishes? Do I have a drawer in your bureau? Have I left movies here? Have you left anything of yours at my place? Is there any overlap?"

She frowned in thought and looked around, hoping she would find something. She liked to wear his hoodies, but that was at his place, and she didn't take them with her.

"Do I have a toothbrush in your bathroom? My own shampoo in your shower? Books in your office?" he continued to ask, and her frown only deepened as she realized there was nothing of him there. "I can safely say I have nothing of yours in my space." He leaned on his thighs and met her teary gaze with a firm one. "You have memories in this home, and his, of your time together. You have things you brought into this home _together_."

"So what?" Nami asked, choking the question out as her eyes began to burn. He was right, but she didn't want him to be. "That happens in plenty of relationships and break ups."

"Perhaps, but I've seen the way you look at him. I've seen you sink into thought and play with the bracelet he gave you. I can see how much you miss him, even when I'm right beside you. I've tried to hold back, not push you too far before you were ready. I kept some distance…"

"You did that to protect yourself," she accused. "You've always kept your distance from people," she added softly."

Law sighed, and relented with a nod. "You're right." He let out a wry snort of miserable amusement. "I suppose that's a trait you understand quite well, too."

"So… What does this mean?" Nami asked, knowing the answer even before Law stood, his next sigh resigned. Her tears began to fall just as his arms wound around her, her face pressed to his chest. She could hear his heart racing, the only other sign that this conversation was affecting him.

"I was hoping that your time away would be good for us. You would be far away from him, away from a world that reminds you of him, and maybe you could truly put your feelings in the past. But…" He paused to take a deep breath and trail his fingers through her hair. "You're planning to take him with you, or what pieces you have left of him." She wound her arms around him and dug her fingers into his shirt when a sob came. She couldn't even say if she was upset over what was happening, or if it was the truth behind what he was saying. She felt his chuckle in his chest. It sounded strained, and his arms held her a little tighter. "Now you cling to me," he mused quietly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he whispered back. "I'd rather blame that idiot for doing this to you. I've wondered how things might have been between us if he was never in the picture. If I had gotten to you first. Maybe we could have afforded to take things slow." He let out another pained laugh. "I _should_ have gotten to you first. I've liked you for a long time. I was just too caught up in my own life to spare the effort on a relationship until now, and unfortunately I was too late."

Law pulled back to cup her cheeks, thumbs brushing away her tears. His expression was hollow and distant, and she couldn't help but think back to that day in the park. Kid had cried when he let her go. He broke down, he let her see his pain, his grief, his agony. He let her see the sacrifice he was making, all for her sake. And she knew in her heart that Law would never show her that much, just as he would never have come crashing into her life, shattering her walls, and burrowing himself deep within her heart before she even knew what he was doing. He was too patient, too cold, too distant. For Law to do that, he'd have to let his own walls down, and that would be an even greater sacrifice for him to make than giving her up was right then. Those walls were what let him give her up without shedding a tear.

"He still loves you," Law said quietly, sweeping his thumb beneath her eye to collect a fresh tear. "He's just waiting for you to take him back, too."

She shook her head. "He's moved on…"

"No, he hasn't. Not even close." He chuckled, his lip curling into a crooked smirk. "He's just barely holding himself together waiting for you."

"He was with someone last night." She sniffled and wiped at her face as Law stepped back. She was glad for the distance then. She needed it. She could breathe easier, think clearly, without the overbearing weight crushing her chest as she destroyed a perfectly good relationship all because she couldn't stop loving someone else.

"So? You would have been with me tonight." Law shrugged, sitting back down on her bed. He looked calmer, his expression less strained, relaxed. He was already putting it behind him.

"Because I _have_ been trying to move on," she said, pouting. "I want to move on."

"No you don't," he said bluntly. "If you did, you would have returned that shirt, and everything he ever gave you."

She scowled at him, but couldn't find a way to argue his logic. She hated that he was right. And so calm about it.

"How are you still sitting here talking to me about this?" she asked.

Law shrugged. "I'll process all of this later, but I think you need someone here to talk some sense into you."

She glared. "Are all my ex's going to do this?"

"Depends on how many more you have before you finally go back to that idiot," he said with a snort. "Anyway, I was your friend before all this, I see no issue in remaining your friend. Eustass-ya might, but he can go fuck himself for all I care."

"I'm not getting back together with him," she huffed. Law's brow rose skeptically. She raised her arms to gesture around the room she was in the process of packing. "I'm leaving for ten months."

"So? You're coming back."

"We discussed it once before when we were together, and I could tell he was uneasy about a possible separation then. And after everything that happened, I don't know if he can handle it now."

"I suppose you're right," Law mused. "At least you would know better than me. I'm not interested in understanding how that idiot thinks most of the time."

Nami snorted in amusement as she rubbed one of her eyes. She felt exhausted. As amicable as it had been, breaking up with Law still hurt. She was emotionally drained after everything that just happened. What happened to taking a shower together, then having dinner, and going to bed with him? How could her night change so fast?

Law got up to leave as he noticed her sullen mood. He stopped to wrap an arm around her shoulders. A lazy, platonic hug. She was probably the only person he was friends with who would ever be treated so kindly.

"I don't regret being with you, Nami-ya," he whispered. "I just regret my poor timing."

She pressed her head into his shoulder, nuzzling him in what would likely be the last bit of genuine affection they would share. "Me, too," she whispered back.

"Oh… And before I leave, there's something I've honestly been dying to tell you…"

She looked up in confusion to see him wearing a devilish smirk.

"It's about Bonney-ya…"

* * *

_**A/N: **Just call me Trafalgar Law, because I love tearing hearts out. Haha. But no, really, I just broke up two of my otps in one fic, the only way I can make this more painful is if I have her date and break up with Zoro, and possibly Bonney. Oh, and I actually expected this break-up to be more explosive, but Law just kind of... gave up. Which hurt way worse!_

_Law, though, the man is probably the better (albeit more painful) rebound for Nami because he so completely understands the whole 'obsessive, clingy, refusing to let go' sort of love she's dealing with right now. Like, he is the poster-child for clinging to a past loved one. And in this case, after she went through this relationship with Kid, Nami would have really needed someone willing to break down her walls and put themselves in a position to overshadow Kid. And Law, no matter how much he wants to be, isn't, because to break down her walls, he would have to bring his own down, put his emotions out there to get trampled over, and Law just will not do that, especially when it's with someone who is so obviously still in love with someone else. If he had gotten to her first, then they could have gone slow, and Nami could have been the one to gently open him up because she could focus her whole heart and attention on him, give him the affection and love he desires. Maybe if Nami had someone else between dating Kid and dating Law, if Kid had truly moved on, if Nami had, too, then it might have worked out, but in this case, nope. Nami and Kid built something a little too strong for either to move on from._

_And hopefully you guys see why this was more important to Kid's character than it was to Nami's. He needed to stand back and support her as just a friend, nothing more. They might have great sexual chemistry, but that isn't something to build a long lasting relationship on. They might love each other romantically, but sometimes that isn't even enough, not without a solid platonic love to help support them even when other aspects of the relationship are strained, that provides them with additional reason to trust one another. Also it has helped him learn how to temper his possessiveness and jealousy. Not eliminate them, but at least control them with a lot less stress._

_I might end up just working on this fic straight to the end for you guys, cuz it is almost done. I want to say about five chapters left. And I want to get to the good parts again. Cuz it's pretty much all uphill from here. Congrats guys, you made it through the worst of this. Probably. :)_


	40. Chapter 40

_I expect some good reactions to the end of this chapter._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_12 months_

He was willing the bastard's head to explode. He wanted to reach across the table and throttle him until it did, but Killer was tense, ready to hold him back the second he lunged. It was a party. No bloodshed allowed. No matter how much he wanted to turn the bastard's skull into his personal piñata.

Oh, the things he was imagining. They would put every Tarantino movie to shame.

Trafalgar might have broken up with Nami a month ago, but Kid was still looking to slaughter him for it. He had shown up at Nami's place a few hours after picking up his things, expecting her to be out at dinner with the bastard. He and Franky were just there to load up the grill, but as soon as they reached the deck, Kid caught a flash of Nami's hair at the dining room table. She was sitting with Robin over a cup of tea, trying to smile at something her friend was saying, but there was no missing her puffy red eyes.

Kid barged in and demanded to know where Trafalgar was so he could kick his ass. Franky just barely restrained him from walking out the door and hunting the bastard down the moment Nami told him he had left.

She reassured Kid that it was an amicable break-up, that she was fine. He called bullshit on that considering the obvious evidence of her tears, but she merely glared at him and then waved him off. She said it was nothing a day in bed with a trashy romance novel and pint of ice cream couldn't cure. She would be fine.

He had no idea how she was being so relaxed about it. The bastard just broke her heart, didn't he? Shouldn't she be sobbing? Shouldn't her friends be there to make it better? Or were they hunting Trafalgar down to give him the beating he deserved? If they didn't beat that bastard, then Kid was going to, so they had better be looking for him.

But no, no one beat that idiot up. Nami had reassured them that it wasn't necessary, that she was just fine, that the break up was for the best.

Now that he had Trafalgar right in front of him, though, he was absolutely going to bloody his hands.

"If you hurt me, it will only upset Nami-ya," Trafalgar said into the lip of his glass with a smirk that made him want to rip his face off. Kid's lip curled with a restrained snarl, his leg bounced beneath the table. He was going to do it. He was going to tear his head off, once and for all. Trafalgar chuckled. "One drop of my blood spilled, and you can kiss goodbye any chance you had at getting her back."

Kid went to lunge, but Killer was on him a second later, arms wrapped around his neck and ready to choke him until he blacked out. It was the only way to stop his bloodlust at that point, and the threat was enough to temper Kid as he clutched the collar of Trafalgar's shirt. The bastard wasn't afraid at all. Didn't show an ounce of guilt or remorse for what he did to Nami. He just sat there grinning that smug-ass grin that begged for Kid to shatter every single one of his perfect teeth.

"Did you care about her at all?" Kid asked with a low growl.

That question made the grin wane. It was fleeting, but Kid's whole focus was on Trafalgar's face, so he didn't miss the hurt flicker through his eyes before it was locked down.

"Why do you think I ended things?" Trafalgar asked quietly.

Kid shoved him away and took his seat. That was all he needed to hear. He understood perfectly. He still wanted to murder the bastard, but he would let him off easy for now. It was a party, after all. He wouldn't ruin Nami's twenty-second birthday by getting into a fight with her new ex.

"Tsh, what the hell even prompted it? Thought you guys had a date planned and everything that night?" Kid grumbled, unable to help himself. He couldn't see how things could change so fast. Sure, the stress of Nami's move might have been straining their relationship, but as far as he could tell, they were going to make an effort to stay together while she was away.

Trafalgar chuckled as he took a sip of his drink. It didn't sound so cocky. It sounded defeated. "We broke up over a shirt."

Kid's brow rose, but that was the only answer he received. His attention swept over the crowded bar to find Nami at the center of her friends, laughing happily as Luffy and Usopp danced on a table like drunk idiots, except neither of them were drunk. Well, Usopp looked to be well on the way, but Luffy hardly drank alcohol. He didn't need it. Kid was honestly afraid to imagine how much more obnoxious that man could be with liquor in him.

Nami didn't look to be hurting at all after her latest break up. When Trafalgar arrived there hadn't been much awkwardness between them, either. A strained smile from Trafalgar at first, but it eased when Nami laughed at something he said, and then turned genuine when she leaned in to whisper something to him that drew a few chuckles from him. After that, Trafalgar came to sit at the table with Kid and Killer, his smile filled with sadistic amusement, daring Kid to kill him, while Nami skipped off to join her other friends.

"Seeing anyone lately?" Trafalgar asked suddenly.

Kid tore his gaze from Nami. Zoro had just taken a seat with her, his arm slung around her shoulders as he handed over a new shot. It seemed he was determined to have Nami keep up with his drinking that night. She was one of the few who could.

"Why do you care?" Kid grunted.

Trafalgar shrugged. "I'm curious."

Kid felt a nagging sensation crawl down his spine. Trafalgar was up to something. He didn't know what the bastard was scheming, but there was no way he had any genuine curiosity in Kid's love life. His eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what angle he was playing, but Trafalgar was as unreadable as ever.

"Nah," Kid answered. "One night stands when I need 'em, but other than that…" He trailed off with a shrug. "Not really interested in datin' anyone."

Trafalgar hummed knowingly. "I'm sure there's at least one person out there to spark your interest."

He tried not to look. He willed himself not to look. But his eyes briefly flit over to Nami before he forced his gaze away again. He found Trafalgar's grin had grown, a spark in his eye that said he saw the quick glimpse. Kid growled at him. "It's none of your fucking business, bastard."

Trafalgar quietly sipped his drink as though he would drop the subject. But Kid knew better. The bastard had an objective. He wouldn't give up so easily.

"She's single again," he finally muttered suggestively. Gold eyes met his, filled with mischief. "Who knows for how long, though. Beautiful, intelligent, kind but fiery woman like that. She'll have someone else keeping her company at night soon enough."

Kid felt his hackles raise. It was bad enough knowing she was in bed with Trafalgar for all those months, and now someone else might come along to take her. But he couldn't do anything about it. She was free to do as she pleased. He had no right to take her back. If he could sit by and watch her date that bastard, he could do it again with the next. Hell, maybe the next guy would be better. Maybe the next guy won't have a face just begging to be pulverized by his fist. Maybe the next one will be exactly what Nami needs and deserves. Maybe the next one will make her happy, without the drama and jealousy and possessiveness he knows she hates.

He snapped his head to the side to glare at some random shithead sitting at the bar. "Tsh. Like I care."

"I've never heard a more obvious lie," Trafalgar chuckled. "Straw Hat's a better liar than you."

Kid turned his glare back on him.

"If you don't care enough to do anything, then I suppose it's a good thing she's leaving soon," Trafalgar continued blithely. "She'll be far away, free to do whatever, or _whomever_, she pleases."

Kid snarled under his breath. He wouldn't rise to the asshole's bait. He would stay calm. Or at least pretend to.

Killer snatched his glass from his hand before he shattered it.

"Yeah. She'll have a lot of fun over there," he forced himself to say, tone flat and distant.

Trafalgar hummed. "Did she ever let you tie her up? She makes such cute sounds."

He lunged across the table again and nearly had Trafalgar's neck in his grasp, but the bastard leaned out of his reach as Killer hauled him back. The asshole was chuckling sadistically, well aware that he was needling him in all the right spots to set him off. He was begging for Kid to murder him.

"Tora-o," Nami snapped as she stormed over. The reprimand in her voice made Trafalgar's amusement wither. Kid calmed down when she snagged Trafalgar by the cheek and tugged hard. "Stop picking fights."

He glared at Nami, the look lacking any potency. Nami wasn't about to back down, though, and dragged the other man away before he could incite Kid further. She came back to the table once Trafalgar was settled into her spot beside Zoro, scowling as the younger man tugged him against his side and poured him a new drink.

"And you," Nami lectured as Killer shoved him back into his chair. She smacked the side of his head hard, and ignored his snarl. "Stop letting him get under your skin. You know the rules for this party."

"No bloodshed," he huffed, visibly deflating. That was why he planned to strangle the asshole. There shouldn't be any visible blood after he crushed his windpipe. Unless he got carried away and tried to tear it out entirely.

Nami patted him on the head like an obedient dog. He glowered at her smile. It looked almost as devious as Trafalgar's. She was lucky he liked that smile on her. Meant she was thinking, plotting, and there were too many nights where he enjoyed every second of her mischievous teasing to ever hate that smile. Even though there was no way that smile would lead to anything good for him anymore. It was still sexy as hell.

And of course he just had to have Trafalgar's obnoxious voice in his head, reminding him that she was single again. His for the taking. If she would have him, that is. But she wouldn't. Why would she? He was a worthless prick who failed to live up to his word. She could do so much better.

"So how's school going?" she asked as she sat down across from him. Her smile turned sweet with genuine interest. He would always love when she gave him her whole attention, ignoring everyone else in favor of him. Not many people liked talking to him, at least not with such sincerity and friendliness. Not with eyes that warmed when they looked at him. And she always wanted to hear about his projects, his interests, his work. She wanted to support him and see him succeed. And no matter what, she always had faith that he would, and he hoped that never changed.

"Good," he grunted, glancing to the side to take his drink back from Killer. He was trying to hide the effect her attention had on him. It was the same as it always was, and Nami would know the feelings the second she saw them in his eyes. He was an open book for her, no matter how hard he tried not to be since breaking up with her.

"How many people did you punch this week?" Her eyes sparkled again, teasing and playful.

He snorted. That look made him smile while his heart fluttered in his chest. He hated that she still had such a strong hold of him when he doubted it was the same for her. Even if she was still wearing his bracelet.

"Only three this week," he answered. "And only one of those pricks got punched in the face."

"Any of them your teachers?"

"Not a single one," he said, grinning. "Came close last week to hitting one, but the guys in class held me back."

Nami laughed. "Then you're doing even better than I expected. I'm proud of you, Kid."

Her grin made him want to cart her out of the bar over his shoulder and steal her away to his house for the rest of the night. Maybe the rest of the weekend. His leg bounced as he restrained the urge, and Killer tensed beside him, ready to hold him back if he needed it.

"So, how much longer before you're done?" she asked.

He managed to shake away the nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him to run away with her to focus back on the conversation. He had been doing so much better at ignoring his urges while she was dating Trafalgar, and wholly off limits for him. It shouldn't be any different now that she was single again. She was still off limits.

"Ought'a be getting ready to open my own shop by the time you get back."

"You're going to open your own place right out of the program?" she asked, shock mixing with pride on her face. She was really making this control thing hard for him.

"Of course. I'd rather be own my own boss. That way when I break a man's face in, no one can fire me for it." He grinned.

"That's probably for the best," she agreed with a laugh. "If you need any help with the business side of things, just let me know. I'll make sure your garage is pulling a bigger profit than all the rest." She winked.

Kid laughed. "I don't think it's wise to let you anywhere near my books. You'll skim off the top."

"I would never," she huffed in feigned offense. "I will do all your bookkeeping with the same honesty I do my own." She stuck her tongue out and winked again. "For a _small_ fee, of course."

"Of course," he said, still chuckling. He had a quip on his tongue, an offer to pay her for her services the same way she paid her 'rent' while staying at his place. He bit his cheek and swallowed the thought. She'd probably kick him in the balls if he said that. "We'll see if I'm desperate enough when you get back, Kitten," he said instead.

Their conversation was interrupted as another guest came into the bar. Nami jumped up the moment she noticed, and Kid battled against the urge to flee the premises before someone else kicked him in the balls. Bonney's boots looked plenty painful that night. Especially with the heel. She would definitely use that heel.

"Bonney-chan!" Nami greeted cheerfully as the older woman approached. Kid pointedly ignored Bonney, or at least tried to, but couldn't help watching Nami hug her. Bonney's cruel smile made him hold down the urge to shiver, and he scowled when she flipped him off behind Nami's back.

"Happy birthday, cutie," Bonney said when Nami pulled away. "Now where's the damn cake?"

Nami laughed as she pointed toward Sanji. "Sanji-kun will get you everything you ask for. Just try not to let his fawning get to you."

"If he's handing me food, he can do whatever the hell he wants," Bonney said. Kid swallowed a growl when she leaned in to peck Nami on the cheek. Nami looked far too pleased with the woman's affection. "Thanks for inviting me," she said before heading over to Sanji. She shot Kid another cruel smile and rude wave. "Later, prick."

He snarled at her, but let her walk away. Nami turned to him wearing a worried pout.

"Was your break up with her so bad?" she asked, a lilt to her voice that seemed almost knowing. "If I had known there was so much animosity between you two, I wouldn't have invited her."

Kid eyed her closely. She was acting too casually. Suspicion nagged at the back of his mind. "Nah, it's fine. She's always like that to me."

Nami hummed. "Well, that's certainly true. I know if someone lied to their ex-girlfriend and said they were dating me, I would be a pretty big bitch to them about it, too."

"Ah," his jaw dropped, and he stared at Nami in shock. She wore a sickly amused smile.

"Tora-o-kun told me," she explained, smile growing. "And before you say I can't believe a word out of his mouth, Bonney confirmed it."

"It's your fault I panicked, woman!" he shouted while Nami turned away, shrieking with laughter.

He slammed his head to the table once she was gone. He couldn't help but feel embarrassed at finally being caught in his lie.

At least she didn't seem angry, but he knew to expect her teasing him about it for months, if not longer.

* * *

The party went on until nearly dawn. Nami's friends were treating it as a going away party, as well as a birthday party, so they were determined to go for as long as they could. Kid lingered all the way up to the end. Despite the shit he was getting from Nami, and Trafalgar, and Bonney, he was still having a good time. And Nami was leaving soon. He wanted to enjoy every second he had with her before she was off on the other side of the world, likely forgetting all about him once and for all.

As guests began to fall asleep on tables, Kid finally decided to call it a night. Nami looked exhausted, just as ready to go home and sleep off the liquor, but she still walked out with him and his friends to see them off.

He chuckled when he caught her playing with the newest charm for her bracelet – a compass. It was something else for her to tease him about during the party. She asked if he had gotten the bracelet to make future gifts easier to pick, and no matter how much he tried to deny it, she wasn't easily fooled. She said she still loved it, though. That made the teasing worthwhile.

"When I run out of charms to buy for that, I'm really going to have to put more thought into presents for you," Kid said as they all sauntered toward his car. He kept his pace to a slow, lazy amble. He was in no rush to leave her yet. Even if he was tired.

"You know you don't really have to get me anything," she said. He glanced down at her, his brow raised. He liked buying her things, especially when they made her smile. He didn't like the idea that she didn't want any more of his gifts. But then she winked teasingly, and he felt his worries leave him. "If you run out of ideas, just give me cash, and I'll go pick out my own presents."

"Greedy as ever," he teased, patting her on the head.

He froze when she wound an arm around his waist, and tried to keep his shock from being too obvious as she wrapped her other arm around him in a hug. He sucked in a sharp breath when she squeezed, glancing down curiously at her. Nami's smile was as sweet as ever as she pressed her chin to his chest.

"Thank you for coming tonight," she whispered.

He forced himself to relax in her hold, and then uneasily returned the hug. It was her birthday. If she wanted some affection from a friend, then it was fine. The guys had reminded him that she hugged all of her friends, and that included him now.

"Like I'd miss this party," he grunted, feeling awkward as he wrapped his arms around her head. He really hoped she didn't notice how fast his heart was racing. It was only a hug, for fuck's sake.

"Are you going to come see me off at the airport, too? Knowing the guys, they'll turn it into a party there. Last time I went away, Luffy got himself put on the no-fly list after he tried to steal a plane sitting on the tarmac."

"How the hell did he get to Dressrosa if he was on the no-fly list?" Kid asked, his hug coming a little easier as he laughed.

"A lot of disguising and a fake I.D.," she said. "It is definitely a hassle getting him anywhere."

"Yeah, alright, I guess I'll come and check out the chaos." He ruffled her hair and began to pull away. If he held her any longer, he'd get too comfortable and that would only lead to him doing something he wasn't supposed to. Her pout made it difficult, but she eventually released him on her own, allowing him to take a step back. He tousled her hair one last time. "I'll talk to ya later, Kitten."

She laughed as she batted his hand away. "Later, Kid," she said, pinching his waist in a spot that always made him jump, retaliation for her mussed up hair, and turned to head back into the bar. She needed to wake her friends so they could go home.

Kid watched her walk away until Killer cleared his throat behind him.

"Kid," his friend prompted, dragging his gaze away from Nami. "Your wallet."

Kid blinked and looked down at his back pocket. The chain was still there, but clipped to the edge of his pocket, and when he checked inside, he found his wallet gone.

He had a sudden moment of déjà vu.

That little thief.

"Nami! Get your ass back here, you damn cat-thief!"

* * *

_13 months_

It was three in the morning, and airport security did not look eager to deal with their group as they took over the main terminal. Her friends had all brought signs and air horns, prepared to see her off as obnoxiously as they could. Except for Zoro. He just looked ready to go back to bed. He was even eyeing a bench with the intent of napping through the ruckus.

She had just over an hour before her flight boarded. The early hour meant getting through security should be quick, so Nami and Robin were in no rush yet. Though with every minute that passed, Nami began to feel more anxious. Kid said he was going to see her off, but he wasn't there yet.

"Don't worry, he'll be here," Luffy said with a snicker when he noticed her craning to look around the airport. She didn't need to, Kid was big enough to spot in a crowd, and the place wasn't crowded at all. But she didn't want to miss him. Luffy draped his arm around her shoulders to pull her into a hug, his grin as big as can be. "Trust him," he whispered. "He won't miss seeing you one last time."

She let out a sigh and nodded. Luffy released her just as Sanji came over.

"I'll be sending you a care package every week," Sanji said. "Fresh tangerines from your grove, and well balanced meals."

"I can cook for myself, Sanji-kun," she said with a sigh as she pulled her friend into a hug. "But I will miss your cooking."

"Anything you need over there, just tell me and I'll bring it to you myself," he said, squeezing her tight before handing her over to Zoro.

"Bring me back more of that wine we had there," Zoro grunted.

"I'll send a whole case, but I'll be tacking it onto your debt," she agreed as he hugged her. He groaned, but didn't argue as he pushed her toward Usopp. "I'm trusting you to keep everyone out of my things," she told him. "If I come back to find anything missing again, I will charge you for it."

"It was only a few movies," Usopp huffed. "And our DVD player broke. We needed a new one and yours was already there."

"I don't care. Don't steal my stuff," she lectured as she hugged him. He grumbled out an agreement, and she moved onto Franky. He swallowed her up into a bear hug and lifted her from the ground while Robin snickered behind her.

"Make sure Robin comes back. I know she's excited about seeing the old city, but she has classes to teach in two weeks," he ordered. "And I'll miss her, so if she's not back, I'll be flying over and crashing at your place, too."

"I'll make sure she doesn't lose track of time," Nami relented. "And you make sure my bike stays in good shape. Don't let Luffy ride it."

"Already plan to lock it away where he can't get it, girlie," Franky said with a chuckle, and set her back down. When he released her, she noticed him grinning off to the side and followed his gaze to Kid heading toward them, Killer right behind him. "And I'll be sure to keep an eye on him for you," Franky whispered before pushing her toward Kid.

She had never seen Kid look so grumpy, certainly not when seeing her. His lips were set in a hard scowl, his shoulders hunched, and hands crammed in his pockets. He didn't look happy to be there in the least.

She took that as a good sign.

"Almost thought you weren't going to make it," she said once he stopped in front of her. She beamed up at him while her friends moved away to give her some privacy.

"Too damn early," he grunted, while Killer came to give her a short hug before joining her friends off to the side.

"It doesn't even look like you slept," she teased once it was just them.

"Didn't," he grunted, and then his gaze settled on her shirt. "Ain't that my shirt?" he asked, his brow raised.

"Hmmm, is it?" she asked innocently, looking down at the black shirt she had on with her stolen green sweat pants. She had it tied off just above her waist, otherwise she would be swimming in the thing. She plucked at the shirt, as if studying it. "Oh! I guess it is. I just found it a few months ago and decided it was mine," she said, grinning up at him.

Kid glowered down at her, a tick to his jaw. "So that's what the asshole meant," he muttered as his scowl deepened. His surly attitude didn't bother her. She had a feeling why he was so moody. Hopefully she could lift his spirits, even just a little bit, before she left.

She noticed him stiffen when she stepped closer, but didn't let it deter her as she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. He was still tense, even as he leaned over to let her hug him. She held it until he wound his arms around her waist, nervous and uneasy.

"I'll miss you," she whispered in his ear.

He let out a long breath and squeezed her tight. She felt him finally relax as he nodded against her neck.

"I'll miss ya, too," he whispered back. He took a deep breath as he held the hug a second longer, and released it in a heavy rush before finally pulling back.

She didn't let him get far. He froze when her hand cupped his cheek. His eyes widened and his breath caught when her lips brushed over his jaw in a fleeting kiss. She giggled at his stunned reaction, and pulled free of his slackened grip. He shook off his stupor as she took his hand and squeezed it, laughing at the scowl he leveled on her. He still squeezed her hand back.

"I'll call you, Kid," she said and finally turned for security.

"See ya, Kitten," he called to her, and she looked back to wave at him. He was finally smiling again, though it looked strained as he waved back. There was no doubt in her mind that he hated seeing her go.

Robin came up beside her as they lined up at security, and slipped her arm through hers.

"I have never seen a man so obviously pining over someone," Robin whispered to her with a sneaky glance back.

Nami was careful to hide her devious smile as she peeked back to see Kid still watching her, the scowl back on his face. Killer was at his side, a hand on his shoulder as though meant to restrain him, while Kid dug his hands back into his pockets.

"Then it's a good thing he won't have to pine much longer," she said, snickering to her friend. She was leaving for ten months, but she was filled with more resolve and determination than she ever had before. She wasn't scared anymore. She wouldn't run again. And she wouldn't let Kid, either. Once she set her sights on something valuable, she wouldn't give up until it was hers.

"He might not know it yet, but that man is _mine_."

* * *

_**A/N: **Ehehehe, it's Nami's turn to be on the offense in this relationship. Kid is absolutely screwed. He's gonna suffer so much, but it'll all be worth it. Also, he deserves to be on the receiving end of someone's stubborn advances. He tormented Nami in the beginning, after all._

_From here on out, it's all KidNami fluff... maybe a little more than fluff, too. I'm sure you'll all enjoy it._

_And yes, Law is actually pretty okay with not dating Nami anymore. It means he gets to be as big an ass to Kid as he wants to be. He really enjoys pissing that man off, and he has so much material to work with now. Bonney's the same way, actually. She kissed Nami's cheek for the sole purpose of annoying Kid, because yes, Kid is more jealous than turned on by it at this point. He's also he didn't get in trouble with Nami for the lie. She's smart enough to understand what prompted it, and is willing to forgive him for it. It was kind of a lie of good intentions._

_Anyway, four more chapters to go. I still plan to finish this fic before I work on the updates for the others, though I might take a short break to work on the next chapter of 'Family Antics' since that only has two chapters left. But, we'll see._


	41. Chapter 41

_A few notes before I start this chapter. 1) Nami's behavior is very problematic. I am not even going to lie. She does something very shitty. But as Kid says at the end, he would have done the same damn thing. They are problematic people, after all. 2) Ace is alive in this. Because as I was writing this, I decided that he had to be alive. Because I love him. He is a precious, innocent child who never did anything wrong ever (ignoring the fact he's probably killed a lot of people in his life because he's a pirate, but ehhhhhh). But yeah. Enjoy an Ace cameo. 3) I redesign Kid and Nami toward the end. I kind of borrow from Oda's potential post-timeskip designs for Nami, along with a few things I imagined as I was writing this. Kid's is mostly based on my own images, but Oda's possible post-timeskip design idea for him helped make it more feasible. 4) Kid is a gigantic idiot, but more on that later._

_Oh yeah, and this chapter gets pretty heavy into the adult territory again. As if this whole fic didn't dive headfirst into adult territory, lol. Figure I'd give you a heads up, though. I'm sure you'll all be screaming by the end of the chapter. For a couple of reasons._

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_13 months_

Kid felt nothing but anxiety the day he watched Nami walk away from him and board a plane that would take her to the opposite side of the world. He was certain it would be the definite end of whatever they had before. She would find someone else over there, someone better for her, and there would be no going back to what they had. It had to happen, but he still didn't like it.

He was also worried about her. All alone, without a single friend over there to help her when she needed it. He didn't like that. What if someone caused her trouble there? What if someone from her old gang found her? What if some creep tried to assault her in the bathroom of some bar? What if she met an asshole just like himself? He had to remind himself that she was a tough woman. She could take care of herself. She had taken care of herself for years, after all. She would be fine on her own. She had to be.

He was also confused, but that didn't come until he saw her wearing his shirt, heard her whispered words, and felt the brush of her lips against his jaw. She had kissed him. It was soft and fleeting, and some part of him wondered if he had imagined it, but he swore she kissed him. He had no idea what that might mean, and every time he thought of the tingle that ran down his spine from that little touch, and the way her eyes sparkled with pure mischief, he only became more confused.

Late that evening, he was still confused, and driving Killer nuts because of it.

"You saw it, right? She kissed me. Didn't she?" Kid asked his friend as they sat in the basement playing a video game. He was trying to get his mind off of her, but the distraction wasn't good enough. He could never get his mind off of her, never completely.

"I couldn't see from where I was standing," Killer said flatly for the fifth time while his fighter completely obliterated Kid's with only two quick moves. "If she did, though, what does it matter?"

"It matters because she _kissed_ me," Kid growled. "She's been touching me more lately. Like that hug at her birthday party, and when I saw her at the coffee shop a few days later, she kept touching my arm and bumping into my side. I swear she's flirting."

"She's a friendly woman," Killer reasoned. "And don't forget that she's kissed me."

Kid growled. "That was different," he said. It had to be. There was affection in her eyes when she looked at him. "And she was wearing my shirt."

Killer hummed. "Law said they broke up over a shirt, right? Was it that one?"

"Had to be. The pissbaby always hated that we were friends, and he made a fuss over her bracelet. Seeing one of my shirts at her place had to send him over the edge, especially if Nami refused to give it back to me." Kid glowered at the television as they started another round. "He was also nagging me about getting back with her. I don't get it. She's supposed to be getting over me. Why the fuck does she still have my shirt? And why the hell did she kiss me?"

Killer didn't answer immediately, and they sank into their round until Kid finally won the fight. Killer sighed. "She's going to be gone for ten months. Perhaps it would be best if you didn't overthink anything she's done."

Kid scowled. That was true. She might be flirting now, stringing him in, but that could change with the distance. She would get over him once and for all while she was away.

"I know, but…" He trailed off as his phone rang on the coffee table. He leaned over to see a text from Nami, and snatched it up to read her message.

'_Ugh, can a flight be any longer?' _she wrote.

A simple message from her, even just complaining about a flight, and he couldn't stop smiling.

'_You finally there?'_ he texted back.

'_Yeah, we landed a little while ago. Just got through customs, now waiting for our bags,' _she sent a few minutes later.

'_Glad to know you got there alright. Go get some rest, Kitten,'_ he said.

"Nami?" Killer asked, leaning in to read the texts over Kid's shoulder.

"Yeah," Kid said, still grinning.

He ignored Killer's hum as another text came.

'_I will. Try not to miss me too much,'_ she wrote, complete with a teasing emoji winking and sticking its tongue out. Just like Nami always did.

He was grinning even wider, and at the same time wondering what the hell she was up to.

"What does all that mean?" he asked Killer while he sent off a quick _'Later'_ in reply and tossed his phone back onto the coffee table. He nearly sent a message reminding her that he had plenty of pictures that could keep him warm at night without her there, but then he remembered she hadn't been keeping him warm at night for over a year. "Why the fuck would she text me after her plane landed? Why the hell would she be teasing me about missing her? She's up to something."

Killer hummed again, but didn't deign him with a response. He seemed to be carefully considering it, too.

He had a feeling he wasn't going to have a solid answer for quite some time.

* * *

_14 months_

Nami knew Kid's routines well enough to know that it would be safe to call him when she woke that Sunday morning. It was only eleven o'clock Saturday night for him, he shouldn't be sleeping, and he definitely shouldn't be up to anything she didn't want him to be.

Her plan to get him back was probably cruel. She was on the opposite side of the world, after all. She wasn't there to see him, to flirt, to make sure she was still the only woman he saw in a crowded room. She was keeping him on the hook when she should be letting him enjoy his freedom, while she was supposed to be doing the same. Law had even urged her not to go through with this plan, to make an effort to date other people while she was overseas, but she stubbornly refused and her newest ex relented to her wishes.

That was good. He was critical to her plans. Law was more than happy to torment Kid for ten straight months, even if he wasn't too happy about the reasons.

She actually had quite a few friends on her side to see her mission through. Luffy, Zoro, Law and his friends would cover Shakky's every weekend they could. Sanji and Robin had both coffee shops Kid frequented. Usopp had enrolled in art and creative writing classes at the same college Kid was attending. Franky pulled some strings to have his old crew checking on Kid's work under the guise of dropping off stolen parts stripped from other cars, and Franky, himself, was constantly calling Kid to see how classes were going.

She also had Bonney and her crew watching the bar in her neighborhood. And it didn't take too much sweet talking to convince Apoo to run interference at Shakky's whenever her friends weren't there. Honestly, he was the most willing to help. Anything that would drive Kid nuts, he was game for.

And if Kid didn't figure out what was happening, then Killer would, and she had no doubt that man would keep his mouth shut. If he was smart, he wouldn't let anything interfere with Nami's plans. He might even help.

Knowing what everyone was up to, she wasn't surprised to find Killer answering when she called that morning. They were probably still at Shakky's, and she could hear Kid hollering in the background.

"Nami?" Killer answered. "This isn't a good time."

"Fucking prick! Say that to my face," she heard Kid shouting in the background. That meant Apoo wasn't holding back in riling Kid up.

"What's going on?" she asked innocently.

Killer sighed. "Just the usual. Scratchmen."

She hummed, hoping he didn't hear how amused she was. "Can you try to tell Kid I want to talk to him? Please?"

He remained silent for a painfully long moment, but then relented with a sigh. "Yeah, hold on."

She sat back on the couch of her small studio apartment and sipped her tea while listening to the rustling on the other end of the line.

"Kid," Killer prompted.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him tonight," Kid growled. "That prick's been begging for it."

"Kid," Killer repeated amidst more rustling.

"What!?" he shouted at Killer. There was a pause, then a frustrated growl. "I'll deal with you later," she heard Kid say, a little louder as he took the phone. There was more rustling, then a huff as Kid forced himself to calm down. "Nami?"

"Hey," she greeted. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Kid hissed, still annoyed. "Nah, just that ass trying to pick a fight," he said while the noise of the bar grew faint and then muffled completely. He must have stepped outside. "What's up?"

"Hmm, nothing much. I just woke up and thought I'd see what you were up to," she said easily.

He snorted. "Nothing too exciting going on here, just the usual Saturday night at Shakky's. How's it been going over there? Any wild nights yet?"

"I'm too busy studying and working on my thesis, Kid," she said, laughing.

"Come on, didn't you say something about going out with some people last weekend?" he asked. "Ya gotta have a full social life by now."

"That was a get-together for all the new Masters and Ph.D. students in the program," she explained. "We sat around a lounge drinking wine and chatting. Far from the wild nights I get back home with all of you guys."

He chuckled quietly. "I'm sure you'll get plenty of 'em over there soon enough," he said. "Any guys drooling over you?"

She smiled at that question. Of course he would ask about that. No matter how much he tried to hide it by saying otherwise, he didn't want her to move on, either.

"No more than normal," she said with a shrug. "But I have no interest in dating anyone here."

"You say that now. You're surrounded by a bunch of weather nerds like you, one of 'em's gonna strike your interest."

She rolled her eyes. "Please, I do not want to date someone with my exact interests."

"Why not? You'd have a ton to talk about."

"We'd be talking about the same stuff constantly. It would get dull fast. Anyway, I don't share all of my interests with my friends, and we have plenty to talk about and do together. You and I hardly have any shared interests, but that hasn't stopped us from having fun together," she pointed out.

"Suppose you got a point there," he mumbled. "Still, if someone asks you out, you ought'a at least give it a shot."

His words weren't convincing in the least. That was the last thing he wanted her to do.

She huffed at him. "If I don't want to go out with anyone here, then I won't. Stop pushing me to date, Kid."

"Tsh, just don't want you to get lonely there," he argued.

"I'm far from lonely here," she said sweetly. "And if I get lonely, I can always call my friends… and you." She made sure to distinguish him from the rest of her friends. He probably wouldn't pick up on it, but she hoped eventually he would realize it. "So don't worry so much about me. I'm fine."

He hummed, unconvinced, but seemed to have given up on that subject.

"How about you? Seeing anyone new?" she forced herself to ask as nonchalantly as she could. She already knew the answer thanks to her friends keeping tabs on him, but she wanted to hear it from him. Especially after the Bonney-incident. She still couldn't believe he lied about that. He was lucky she understood the reason for it, otherwise she would have had a lot more to say on the subject. She didn't like it when he lied to her, but that lie had been an innocent one, meant to keep her from staying attached when she was supposed to be moving on. He was pushing her away for her own good, at least in his mind that was what it was meant to do. It wasn't the right time for them to get back together, anyway. It was too soon. So she understood the panicked lie he told.

"Nah," Kid said honestly. "Just having fun with the guys."

"Hmmm, are you too busy missing me to flirt with any girls?" she asked teasingly.

She listened to him choke in surprise and then cough to clear his throat. "What? No. That ain't it… Just…" He trailed off to growl uncomfortably.

"What? You don't miss me?" She tried not to giggle, but it slipped out.

Kid groaned. "No…" he said lowly, then hissed in annoyance. "I miss ya," he muttered through a sigh. "I ain't supposed to, though."

"You can miss me all you want," she told him. "Would it make you feel better if I said I missed you?"

He snorted. "A little," he said unconvincingly. "But that still ain't why I haven't gotten with any girls since you left."

"Hm?" she hummed, prompting him to explain.

"Just haven't been interested in any of 'em. Not enough to make an effort," he said, sighing again. "Might have checked one or two out, but they got picked up before I could make a move."

She already knew about those thanks to Law's information. Penguin and Shachi were the ones to swoop in and stop Kid from talking to those girls. It hurt to hear, but it was partly her own fault. She could have told Kid that she wanted him back before she left, but she had a feeling he still wasn't ready, especially not with a long separation on the immediate horizon. He wouldn't be able to handle it when they were still trying to rekindle what they lost. For now, he was just going to have to suffer until she knew it was safe to make her move.

"Sorry to hear," she said, hoping she sounded sympathetic. She let out a resigned sigh. "Well, I guess I should let you get back to your friends. Maybe you'll find a girl to go home with tonight."

He snorted. "Doubtful. Not after the blowup with that prick, Scratchmen."

"You never know," she forced herself to say. "There might be someone there who likes the angry delinquent type."

He made a sound that said he really doubted that, and she giggled.

"Well, at least try to salvage your night," she said. He grunted in response. "I'll talk to you later, Kid."

"Yeah. Later, Kitten."

She hung up wearing a smile. As far as she was concerned, no one else would be touching her man while she was away, and Kid was just going to have to deal with that.

* * *

_15 months_

It was Saturday morning for her and she had just woken up when her cell phone chirped with a text message. She was in the kitchen, intent on making a strong cup of coffee to get her through the day after a long night out with a few friends, and sleepily grabbed her phone to see the message Law had sent.

'_Eustass-ya is on the warpath,'_ he wrote, utterly confusing her.

'_Huh? What happened?'_ She blinked at the clock on the stove and mentally counted back to figure out what time it was there. Midnight. Did Kid go out Friday night?

'_There was a new girl at Shakky's. He tried to talk to her at the bar, but I stepped in,'_ Law explained. _'You owe me, by the way.'_

She snorted. That meant he actually made an effort to flirt and charm someone he had just met. That was not Law's forte.

'_Thank you, Tora-o-kun. Though, this isn't the first time someone's run interference. Why would he be so angry this time?'_

'_Because it's me. And from what I've gathered, he hasn't slept with anyone since you and I broke up. He has to be frustrated.'_

While that was good news, she still found it odd he would be so angry. Before she could even ask for more details, her phone rang. Kid was calling her.

She had to collect herself so she wouldn't sound too happy, or accidentally give away that she knew anything. She cleared her throat, closed her eyes, and focused.

"Kid?" she answered, feigning groggy exhaustion. It was easy enough. She _had_ just woken up.

Kid growled in annoyance. "Tell your fucking ex to stop being such an ass."

She poured her coffee and groaned painfully. "Which ex? They're both pretty big asses," she said, tone flat and tired, carefully masking her amusement at his whining.

Kid snarled at her. She bit her lip to keep from laughing. "I'm serious, Nami. He and his friends have been thorns in my sides all night. Can't talk to a single girl without one of 'em getting in the way."

She set her coffee pot down and glowered at the wall. "You do realize you're talking to _your ex-girlfriend_ about _her ex-boyfriend_ cockblocking you, right?" she asked, this time her flat tone genuinely annoyed. Even if she knew about it, she still didn't want him calling her to complain. At least not so specifically.

"Shit," he hissed.

"Yeah," she bit out. "I'm way too tired to sympathize with you right now, Kid."

"At least tell him to stop rubbing it in my face," he muttered, only ticking her off more.

"Even if I did, he won't listen. He's an ass. Just like _you_," she snapped. "Go have fun, Kid."

She hung up on him after that, muttering '_Asshole'_ under her breath.

'_You're right. I do owe you,'_ she texted Law.

'_I'm across the bar from him. Did he just call you to complain about me?'_

'_Yes.'_

'_I'll see that he's miserable for the rest of the night.'_

'_Thanks, Tora-o-kun. By the way, what exactly are you doing to piss him off so much?'_

'_Nothing out of the ordinary. Flipping him off a lot. Got the girl sitting next to me right now, too.'_

'_Oh? Is she cute?'_ she asked, genuinely interested.

'_That's none of your business.'_

She laughed. That meant she was definitely cute.

'_Well, have fun with your new friend. Try not to get hit.'_

'_I don't think he'll be hitting me anytime soon. He looks like he's sulking.'_

'_Really?'_

He answered with a picture of Kid slumped over by the pool table, glaring down at a pint of beer. Killer was beside him and looked to be in the middle of a lecture.

'_Good. He deserves that,'_ she texted Law. _'Thanks again, Tora-o.'_

He didn't text back again, and she could only hope that he was enjoying his night with the girl he stole away from Kid. Meanwhile, she forced herself to forget the whole call as she made breakfast. She probably annoyed her neighbors with the racket she made, slamming cabinet doors shut, banging a pan onto the stove, and nearly cracking a plate. She was still irritated with Kid's inconsiderate phone call. She didn't care if he just wanted to get laid. He should know better.

She was just sitting down to eat when he called her again. She almost thought to ignore it, send it straight to voicemail. It would teach that ass a lesson.

She decided to answer it at the very last second.

"What?" she answered tersely.

"I'm sorry," he said immediately, and she felt an ounce of her anger leave her. She was still pissed, though, and sat there without saying a word for a long minute. Kid sighed on the other end. "You still there?"

"I am," she snapped. "I just have nothing to say to you."

"I fucking apologized," he groaned.

"I don't care," she huffed. "That was rude and inconsiderate on so many levels."

"I didn't think you'd get all pissed off. You've been encouraging me to date and shit."

"Encouraging you to have fun and get out there is one thing," she bit out. "I don't want to hear you bitch and moan right after you get shot down. Especially when the reason you got turned down is because my other ex interfered. Seriously? Why wouldn't I get pissed off? It's awkward and uncomfortable. And I didn't call you last night while I was out to whine about all the men trying to get in my pants at the bar, despite how much you've been encouraging me to date."

The line rustled and Kid's voice became distant as he growled out a number of curse words. Served him right to be jealous.

"Alright, I get it," he huffed. "I said I was sorry."

"Whatever," she snapped.

"Nami," he groaned. "Please just forgive me."

"I'll accept your apology, but I don't feel like forgiving you right now."

He groaned again. "Damn it."

He sounded tired and defeated, like he was beating himself up over what he had done. That meant he was feeling some guilt over his behavior. That was good. While they were certainly doing a good job of being supportive friends to each other (well, he was being supportive, she was sabotaging him from a different continent), there were still some boundaries, and he had to remember that.

She decided that she was going to do something very cruel. Something that would probably confuse him even more than the kiss she left him with likely had.

"If you're done apologizing, go find some other girl to hit on," she bit out. "Or you can just go home and take care of yourself with those pictures I gave you." He choked in surprise at what she was insinuating, but she wasn't done. "I know the pictures I have of you are enough to help get me off."

"You what?" he coughed out.

"Good night, Kid," she chirped.

"What? Wait! Nami!"

She hung without answering him and smiled at her phone, gloating at the reaction. That was sure to make him even more frustrated, but even less satisfied with anyone he might meet at the bar.

His head would be filled only with images of her, pleasuring herself to fantasies of him. No, he definitely wouldn't be able to go home with another woman that night.

* * *

Kid stared at his phone after Nami hung up, utterly confused and in shock. Did he just hear her right? Did she not only tell him to go home and jerk off to the sexy pictures he had of her, but also admit to doing the same with the pictures she had of him? She was _mad_ at him, right? He was pretty sure she was pissed, and had every reason to be. He had definitely fucked up. But… Did she really just tell him she was getting off to pictures of him?

"She upset?" Killer asked while Kid continued to stare at his phone.

"Yeah…" he grunted, most of his attention still on the melt-down going on inside his brain.

Was this a fucked up punishment for pissing her off? Was this her way of tormenting him? It certainly was working, if that was the case. Between the overwhelming guilt knowing he upset her, and the very lewd images he had of her in his head, he had no idea what to think.

"Kid?" Killer prompted. "What is it?"

He blinked at his friend. He really couldn't piece this together. The last two months she had been gone were frustrating enough and leaving him confused about what Nami was up to. She was calling him weekly, nothing more than casual small talk most of the time, but a few nights he stayed awake until dawn talking to her about her classes, and whatever else they could think of. It was nice to talk to her, to know she missed him, to tell her he missed her, to know she thought about him. And that night he fucked that up by forgetting she wasn't just his friend, she was his _ex_-girlfriend. One he wanted back, no less. Why the fuck did he think it was a good idea to call and complain about Trafalgar rubbing it in his face that he managed to steal a girl away with little more than a crooked smile?

And now Nami dropped this bomb on him. Even if it wasn't true, the image was in his head and damn did he like it. Especially knowing she hadn't been with any other guys, even though she obviously had plenty to pick from judging by what she said. She didn't need to be pleasuring herself to photographs. He couldn't get the idea out of his mind, and he wished he could hop on a plane and let her have the real thing, if that was what she really wanted.

She had to be lying, though. It was a trick. It was a punishment. It was her way of getting under his skin after he ticked her off and upset her. He knew she had been jealous the last time he went home with someone, of course she'd be jealous knowing he was trying to do it again. She was just trying to mess with him. She didn't mean it.

But… he really wished she did.

"I gotta go," he grumbled to Killer and shoved out of his seat. He made a beeline for the door, ignoring his friends as they hurried out behind him.

No one back in that bar was going to help him get rid of the images plaguing his mind. None of them would satisfy him the way a cute little ginger on the opposite side of the globe would. They'd be little better than a cheap replacement for the person he wanted most, and he'd only be miserable in the end.

He needed to go home and dig out some pictures.

He wanted the real thing, but for that night, he'd settle on old memories that he would never give up. No matter how much they hurt.

* * *

_16 months_

The great thing about being a deep sleeper was that text messages hardly bothered his sleep. He vaguely heard his cell phone ring somewhere around dawn that Saturday, but he easily fell back to sleep when it stopped after two messages. It was a good thing, too. If it had woken him and he thought to check it right away, he wouldn't have had any shot at sleeping again.

He let his phone sit while he trudged upstairs for breakfast, too groggy for his mind to realize that the little flashing light meant a message was waiting. He was on his second cup of coffee and on the way out to his workshop when he finally bothered to look.

He promptly spat out his coffee at the picture Nami sent.

'_The life of a princess is one I can definitely get used to,'_ she wrote right before the picture came through. A picture of her lounging in the sun by an ornate desert swimming pool with a butler serving her a plate of fruit and a tropical drink. She was lying flat on her stomach in a tiny green bikini… Without the bikini top.

He had no idea how to respond. Even if he had any blood left in his brain, he still doubted he could figure out a proper response. So he stood there on his deck, staring at a picture that made him want to fly to wherever the hell she was and fuck her right by that pool.

She was definitely up to something, and it involved tormenting his sexually frustrated ass from half a world away.

He didn't care where she was or what time it might be, he was pretty sure it was still early enough there for her to be awake, and promptly called her when he felt some semblance of thought return to his brain. She picked up laughing with music and raucous voices in the background.

"Kid?" she greeted cheerfully.

He wasn't feeling as bubbly. "Why the fuck did you send me that picture?" he shouted over the line.

She snorted and he knew she rolled her eyes at him. "Hold on a second. Let me go somewhere more private." The line rustled, and her voice grew faint. "Vivi-chan, I need to take this." There was more rustling and then whatever party was in the background vanished. Nami huffed into the line. "I thought you would like it. Don't you like it?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose as he leaned over the deck's railing. She was using that cutesy innocent voice that was anything but innocent. He loved that damn voice.

"Nami," he groaned, "what the fuck are you up to?"

"I'm not up to anything," she swore, once again with feigned innocence. "I just thought you would like to see how much fun I'm having in Alabasta this weekend."

He groaned again. "I didn't even know you were in Alabasta."

"I had some extra time off and decided to visit my friend at the last minute. It was a quicker flight than going home would be," she explained. "I also have a picture in a new belly dancer outfit," she added teasingly.

He could have whimpered just remembering the other one she showed him. He wanted to see that damn picture.

The line beeped suddenly, and he pulled his phone away to see another message. Oh that bitch read his mind, and he couldn't even be angry with her about it. Damn, she always looked cute in pink.

"Did you pierce your belly button?" he asked once he buried away all the dirty thoughts revolving around her dancing for him and playing consort in that get-up.

Nami giggled. "No, it's just a little clip-on jewel. You like it?"

He groaned. Yes. He liked it. Very much. "Guess it's cute," he muttered to her. She could not know how turned on he was over a damn outfit and fake piercing. She would only torment him with more pictures.

"Vivi thought so, too. She's trying to talk me into getting a real one before I leave," she admitted.

He could only groan in response. Yep. She was definitely going to torment him.

"But I know it'll hurt," she whined. It was a fake whine. If she could go through the pain of a tattoo, she could handle a damn piercing. She was definitely tougher than he was in that regard.

"Wimp," he teased with a strained chuckle.

"You sound tired. Late night?" she asked, her tone not as teasing as it had been.

"Yeah. Stayed up playing video games with the guys."

She hummed. "Are you going out tonight?"

"Might," he grunted. He hadn't planned to, but he really needed to relieve some of his frustrations after seeing those pictures that tortured his dirty mind with even more fantasies of her than he already had. He wasn't sure anyone else would ease a fraction of his tension, though. It was too bad Bonney wouldn't give him another hook-up. But maybe he could sway her with some of the pictures Nami sent him. No, he shook away that idea. He didn't want to show anyone else what was only meant for him, which meant he was on his own unless he got lucky at the bar. "Not sure yet. Just woke up a bit ago, haven't given much thought to tonight."

She sighed. "Alright, well I need to get back to the party. Go get some more coffee, you sound like you need it. I'll talk to you later, Kid."

"Yeah. Later, Kitten," he grunted.

He hung his head after the call ended and tried to will away the images. He would have no luck there, not after Nami sent him yet another picture. A close-up of her out on a faintly lit patio, all by herself, and still wearing that dancer outfit. The angle gave him way too good a view of the low cut top. Between the top and her beautiful smile, he felt all his desire to go out leave him. He just wanted to be with her.

And of course she was thousands of miles away where he couldn't have her.

With a deep sigh, he turned to head back inside.

"I thought you were getting some work done?" Killer asked as he passed by the guys in the den.

"Later," he grunted on his way down to his room. "Nami sent me a new picture," he told them, the only explanation they should need.

* * *

_17 months_

"Your boyfriend's miserable, girlie," Franky told her as soon as she answered her phone.

She was walking back from the store when her friend called with his latest update, and that news thrilled her far more than it should. She really should feel sorry for Kid. But he tormented her for months before they started dating. It was about damn time he suffered, too.

"He's not my boyfriend. At least not yet," she corrected. "But tell me all about his misery."

Franky sighed. "You are a heartless woman."

"Yeah, yeah, cruel, sadistic, manipulative witch. I've heard the lecture from Zoro plenty. Just spill, Franky," she snapped.

"Alright, well you know how I said Iceburg and Paulie were coming out to visit last week?"

Her brow rose. "Yeah. What happened?"

"Well, we all went to Shakky's, naturally. I let the guys in on your scheming. Paulie doesn't approve, you know."

"Of course he doesn't. Paulie doesn't approve of anything I do," she huffed as she reached her building and went into the lobby.

Franky snorted. "Well, there was a red-head at the bar that night," he explained, and she froze in the middle of the stairs. She knew Kid's type. _She _was Kid's type. With how much she was torturing him, she could imagine he zeroed right in on another red-head to maybe stand in for her. "He was really trying to chat her up." She ground her teeth at that news, and forced herself to stomp up the stairs as Franky continued. "But Iceburg dragged Paulie over with him and started laying down some pretty smooth lines. That bastard can be super charming when he wants to be."

Nami snorted. "So Iceburg stole her from him?"

Franky cackled. "Better! Paulie did!"

"What!?" she stopped, laughing in disbelief. "How?"

"Well, Iceburg's charm managed to distract her from Kid. He was so pissed, but I made sure to ease that by introducing Iceburg as my brother. He knew he couldn't be picking a fight with them after that," Franky continued. "So we were all hanging around, chatting. She had a friend. Blonde, real mean. More Iceburg's type. So when the red-head started chatting with Paulie more, Iceburg moved onto the friend. Apparently the girl Kid was hitting on thought Paulie's shy-boy type was a lot cuter. Wouldn't stop teasing him, and then gave him her number before the girls left. You should have seen him! He was a flustered, spluttering mess!"

She had her hand over her mouth, trying to hold back her laughter.

"Wait! I think I got a picture! Iceburg was teasing him like crazy after that," Franky said.

A minute later her phone beeped with the message, and she had to sit on the stairs as her laughter overtook her. Paulie was redder than a tomato and trying to hide beneath his arms. She just barely caught Kid sitting way off in the background, snarling in frustration. She should really feel sorry for him, but it was really hard after hearing he got cockblocked by a guy who thought a woman who showed more than her ankles was indecent.

"Ah, I really wish I had been there to see that," she said as she calmed down.

Franky continued to chuckle. "You should give Paulie a call and congratulate him. Then you can hear him rant about the whole thing yourself."

"I'll do that later," she agreed.

"But Nami, you really ought'a go easy on your guy. He's missing you like crazy, and your scheme is only making it worse," he lectured.

"That's the point, Franky," she huffed and began the ascent back up to her fourth floor apartment. "I want him to miss me, that way when I get back, he won't be such a stubborn ass about getting back together."

"Still, a man's got needs," he said.

"A man's got a hand," she snapped. "He'll live."

Franky sighed in defeat. "Alright, but try to go a little easier on him. As I said, he's going crazy now with you flirting while on the other side of the world. The guys said they saw a picture of you up in the shop the last time they dropped off parts."

"Really?" she cooed. "Which one? It better not be one of the topless ones."

He chuckled. "Nah, they said you were fully dressed. I believe 'em. They would have been obvious if it was a topless one. And I dropped a part off at his house for a truck he's fixing up for himself. Spotted that picture of you on his bike in all the leather. Had it hanging right over his bench. Pretty sure if I went to his room, I'd find all the rest out."

She held back a happy squeal. That was great news. It meant her plan was working even better than she thought it would. Maybe Franky was right.

"Well, I guess I can give him a little break. Not too much of one, but I'll try not to send him any more pictures for a while," she relented. "And it's a good thing I'm working on a big surprise for him."

"Oh yeah? You got those plans firmed up yet?"

"Almost," she said. "I'll call you when I know more."

Franky laughed. "We'll all be looking forward to it, girlie. Just let me know what you need from me before then."

"I will. And thanks, Franky," she said sweetly before hanging up.

She skipped up the last two flights of stairs. Nothing could ruin her mood. And hopefully in a few weeks all the torture would be worth it for Kid.

* * *

She had only been gone for a little more than four months, and Kid was as miserable about her absence as he had been after they broke up. It was almost as though she had torn open that old wound to torture him by prodding at it every time she called him. He couldn't tell her to stop, though. He wanted her to call him. He wanted her to send him pictures. And he really wanted her to flirt with him, though he wished he could be with her to fully enjoy it.

He really shouldn't want all of that. He should be telling her to stop, ignoring her calls, brushing off the subtle flirting and teasing. He should give her no choice but to find someone else and move on. But he was hooked on her. There was no letting her go at that point. He would likely lose his damn mind if he pushed her away completely.

He knew that was a certainty as he stared at the latest picture she sent him in the middle of a fun night out with her friends. Before he got pissed about the blond man sitting on her right with an arm tossed around her, he forced himself to concentrate on the man to her left. That was likely the reason she sent the picture to him, and he both loved and hated her for it.

He called her without hesitation.

"Hey! You get the picture?" she hollered over the music pounding in the background. The picture had shown him that she was in a dark, dingy club, the brick walls covered with graffiti and old music posters, and now that he had her on the phone, he could hear the riffs of an electric guitar in the background, coupled with a rolling drum, and a crowd singing along with the band.

"Is that who I think it is?" he asked excitedly. "Seriously, he ain't just some look-alike?"

She laughed. "He just got up and sang with one of the local bands here," she explained. "If he's an impersonator, then he's a good one."

"I can't believe you fucking met him. _Before me_. You don't even like that band." He huffed with envy. Nami actually got to meet the lead singer of one of his favorite bands. Hell, the shirt she stole from him was for that band, and he had at least three more at home.

"That was before I knew he was such a good singer," Nami said, laughing. "And why didn't you tell me he's cute without that ugly, gross mask thing? I might have been more willing to listen to them if you had."

He rolled his eyes. "I seriously hate you right now," he grumbled, eliciting another sharp laugh from her. "You got to meet him and can't even fucking appreciate it."

"Hey! I appreciate it plenty! I got a picture just for you and everything!" She paused as someone talked to her in the background. "Oh, here, wait a second," she told him. "He just came back to our table."

Before he could say anything, she handed the phone over to the singer, and Kid struggled to find his voice. He tried not to think much about it when the guy asked if he was Nami's boyfriend, not when he quickly corrected himself, and took advantage of the once in a lifetime chance to talk to a freaking rock star. It was only for a few minutes, but it was more than he ever expected to get.

"Happy?" Nami chirped when she took back her phone. He could hear how smug she was and growled under his breath. He wanted to tackle her right into a bed for this.

"I still hate you," he grumbled.

"No you don't," she sang. "You're just jealous."

He growled again. "So you went out with some friends tonight?" he asked, focusing on the other part of the photo he was curious about. "Who's that blond guy?"

Nami snickered. "That's just Marco. He's a professor for an oceanography program at another university nearby. He's actually friends with Luffy's brother, who came over to visit Marco and decided to invite me to spend the weekend with them."

He growled in annoyance. He didn't like that she was spending the weekend with two guys he didn't even know.

"Oh, wait, the guys want to talk to you," Nami said suddenly. "Here you go, Ace."

Kid clenched his jaw as he listened to her pass the phone to her friends. He could hear her shriek of laughter that mixed with male voices and more laughter.

"Hey, is this Kid?" someone said.

"It is," he growled.

The guy laughed. "Nami, he's as surly as you said."

"Be nice, Ace," Nami snapped in the background.

"I am, I am," Ace said. "Anyway, we just wanted to let you know that we're taking care of your girl for you," he said to him. Kid felt a fraction of his ire leave him, though he really wanted to correct him. Nami wasn't his girl. Not anymore. But if they thought she was, then that was fine. It meant they weren't looking to get in bed with her. "Marco's been pretending to be her boyfriend to keep the guys away."

There was more rustling, and then another guy spoke. "Don't worry about Nami, yoi. Ace has already punched three guys for talking to her, yoi."

"He didn't have to punch them," Nami yelled in the background.

"What about the one feeling under your skirt, yoi?"

"Okay, he needed to be punched, but I could have handled it," she said, her voice louder as she snatched back the phone. "Don't listen to them," Nami huffed to him. "They're just being overprotective. I guess Luffy asked them to watch out for me while I was here, and Ace can't deny his little brother anything."

"I can deny him plenty," Ace shouted in the background as Nami laughed. "Sabo's the one who spoils him."

"You both spoil him," she called back, and then sighed. "Anyway, I'm working on getting you guys tickets for the band's next tour, so don't be too jealous."

"Tsh, you don't have to get us tickets," he huffed.

"I want to," she whined back. "You guys will owe me a ton of favors if I come through."

He chuckled. He should have known she'd weasel out some favors in exchange. "Alright, if ya get them, I guess I'll take 'em."

"I thought so," she said, laughing. "But, I better go. The band I came to see is coming up. I'll talk to you later, Kid."

"Yeah, have fun, Kitten," he said before ending the call. He stared at his phone for a long minute after, both happy that she had thought of him at all while at that club, and annoyed that he couldn't be there with her. Hearing her friends claim her as his only made it worse. He had to keep reminding himself that she wasn't his girlfriend anymore, but with every text and call and flirtatious comment he found himself forgetting that fact. He was as confused as ever about her.

And damn he missed her. So much that it hurt.

* * *

_18 months_

It was his birthday again. Yet another birthday he wouldn't be able to end with a pretty red-head in bed beside him. That woman was the singular focus of his thoughts, even as his friends dragged him out to the bar. The guys teased him about finding a woman to take home that night. They said they would get him laid, no matter what. A few months ago, he might have been all for it, but now he wasn't so sure. There was only one woman he wanted, and as long as she was far away, no other would satisfy him.

"Trust us, Kid," Killer said, slapping a hand on his back as he shoved him toward Shakky's. Kid was slumped over, not as eager to party as he should have been. "I have a good feeling about tonight."

Kid scowled at him. "Whatever, but I ain't staying out all night. I'm not in the mood to party."

Killer slapped him on the back sympathetically. He likely knew the real reason Kid didn't want to stay long. He hadn't heard from Nami once that weekend. She was probably going to call him that night. He didn't want to miss her.

He realized he didn't have to worry about that after Wire opened the door ahead of him. He stopped dead in his tracks just after crossing the threshold.

Sitting at the bar was a shock of orange-red hair that was achingly familiar. He would know her anywhere, just with a glimpse, but he still swore he was seeing things. She was probably some other ginger haired woman. He had to be mistaken. Her bike wasn't parked outside, so it couldn't be her sitting there chatting with Shakky.

He ignored the guys chuckling behind him as he blinked, trying to clear the haunting image in front of him.

But then Shakky pointed toward the door and she turned. There was no mistaking that bright smile.

She got off her stool while he stayed at the door. He couldn't speak. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. He swore he was dreaming. Even as he watched Nami hurry over to them. He still swore she was a figment of his imagination.

He managed to snap out of his stupor once she launched herself at him with an excited squeal. His breath rushed out of him with a laugh as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her citrus scent surrounded him and he knew it was real. Nami was there, and all for him.

He laughed again as he wrapped his arms tight around her waist, crushing her against his chest as he held her off the ground. Touching her, feeling her in his arms, only made it that much more real, and he buried his face against her neck to hide the wide grin he wore.

"Miss me?" she asked teasingly.

He squeezed her tighter in answer. She had no idea how much he missed her. He didn't want to let go now that he had her back. As his hand dug into her hair to keep her in place, she only continued to hug him, just as happy to hold onto him for as long as she could.

"Get a room you two," someone hollered from the other side of the bar, reminding him that they weren't alone.

Nami giggled, her breath sweeping over his neck as she nuzzled behind his ear. A shiver ran down his spine. He needed to let go of her, or else they really would need to find a room.

"Your hair," Nami said as he lowered her back to the ground and pulled away. Another shiver passed through him as her hands ran over the back of his head. He had buzzed the underside of his hair down, leaving the top to grow out long. He had the top tied back in a bun that night, showing off the sorter sides and back. The bristles were soft, and he hadn't realized how sensitive his scalp would be until he had her hands running over him. Her touch tickled him pleasantly. She needed to stop or else it would start feeling too good, but he didn't want her to. "I like it," she said, her smile as breathtaking as ever.

He was still searching for his voice as he grinned down at her, running his hand through her hair. She had cut hers, too. Not as much. It fell just passed her collarbone in neat, layered waves. She had grown her bangs out, though, to frame her face. All he could think about was how beautiful she looked, and how he couldn't believe it had only been a few months since she left. It felt like it had been an eternity.

He stood there drinking her in. His hand refused to stop touching her as it ran over her jaw and tangled in her hair at the back of her neck. It trailed to her shoulder and drew his attention to her tattoo.

"You added to it," he managed to say. If he wasn't still in shock, he would be cursing the awe evident in his voice, but right then, with Nami standing in front of him, staring at him as though he was the most important person in the room, he didn't give a shit what he sounded like. His girl was back, and he couldn't be happier.

"That weekend I was visiting Ace and Marco, they took me to add to it," she said, turning her arm to let him see the extra blue swirls on her bicep. Her tattoo extended to her elbow now, the tribal swirl similar to the tattoo he knew her sister had. "And…" she stepped back to point at her stomach, drawing his gaze down to the skin exposed by her cropped tank top. His eyes went wide at the gold piercing at the top of her belly button and the cat hanging down from a jeweled ball. "It really hurt. I'm never doing it again."

He laughed. That was fine. He didn't think he could handle seeing her with any others. His hands twitched with the urge to run over her waist and stomach. His fingers wanted to play with the charm. And worst of all, his mouth watered with the need to tease his tongue around the piercing and listen to her mewl sweetly for him. He hadn't heard those cute noises in far too long. He was starved for them. For _her_.

"Like it?" she asked with a knowing lilt.

He could only nod. He didn't trust his voice anymore. He might say more of his thoughts than he should and end up getting slapped for going too far.

But damn did he want to touch her and kiss her and taste her and feel every sweet inch of her wrapped around him. He was screwed. Absolutely, undoubtedly screwed. He had no idea how he was going to get through the night with his sanity intact.

Nami laughed as she snatched his hand to tug him away. "Come on. I have another surprise for you," she said. He let her pull him along. His friends had taken over their usual table, and Shakky had brought them their beer and a platter of food. Nami shoved him toward a chair. "I'll be right back."

He nodded dumbly again and sat down across from Killer. His friends sat around the table in a way that ensured Nami would be beside him. He was starting to realize that they had a hand in this surprise, especially Killer judging by his smug smile. His best friend had finally outdone the cake he got for him when they were kids. This was far and above better than any cake.

Nami returned to drop a gift bag in front of him before slipping into the seat beside him. "Happy birthday, Kid," she chirped happily. She turned to Killer and handed him a slender box, too. "And I didn't forget you. Thanks for keeping tonight a secret."

Killer nodded as he took the box, and then waved for Kid to open his present.

He didn't even care what was in the bag. Whatever it was would just be a bonus on top of having Nami there. He was going to be in shock for a while.

"When did you get back?" he managed to ask as he dug through red and black tissue paper in search of his gift.

"Yesterday. I could only spare a few days to visit, though. I fly back out tomorrow night," she said, frowning. "But, it's better than nothing."

While he was disappointed to hear her visit would be a short one, he still agreed that it was better than nothing. He only needed one night with her to wash away all the torment and loneliness of having her so far away.

He finally found the present hidden in the tissue and tugged out the picture frame, along with a few pieces of tissue that fell to the floor.

"I put a lot of research into picking the night to go to that club with the guys," Nami explained as he stared wide eyed at the autographed picture in his hands. The whole band had signed it. "I worked my magic after meeting the singer. He was very willing to meet all my demands."

"You get dirt on him, too?" Kid asked with a chuckle.

"Nope. Just sweet-talked him," she gloated. "There's more than that."

He set aside the picture to dig through the bag some more. He laughed when he found three more shirts, one of which looked to replace the shirt Nami stole. And then at the very bottom of the bag he found the crowning glory of her gift. A rubber mask of a disfigured face. Signed by the lead singer it belonged to.

"How the fuck did you get him to give you this?" he shouted at her.

"I am naturally charming and too cute to deny," she said, smiling.

"You didn't sleep with one of them, did you?" he asked suspiciously. If she didn't have dirt on them, then…

She smacked him upside the head as hard as she could. "Of course I didn't," she yelled. "What do you take me for?"

"I don't know! If you didn't have dirt on the band, then how the hell did they give you this shit?" he shouted, rubbing the back of his head. It was pathetic. He actually missed having her hit him.

"I told you, it's because I'm cute!"

"Not that cute!"

She smacked him again, and then sank into her chair with a huff. The guys chuckled while he glared at her sulky pout. After a short stand-off, Nami huffed again.

"The mask is an old one that he wasn't using anymore. Apparently he does some work for a few charities, and I agreed to donate to one in exchange for that," she explained.

"You spent money on this?" Kid asked, shocked.

"It went to a good cause, and I don't mind spending money on you." She shrugged.

Everyone at the table gaped at her, though Kid was also struggling with the urge to haul her over his shoulder and carry her to the bathroom to thank her the best way he knew how. And the longer they stared at her in shock, the more uncomfortable she became, with a pretty blush staining her cheeks, and that only made him want to steal her away even more.

"Stop staring at me, idiots," she finally yelled. "Or you don't get the last present I did swindle from someone."

Kid forced himself to refocus his thoughts. He couldn't haul her off. She couldn't possibly want him to. Even if she willingly spent money on his gift, an incredibly thoughtful gift, it didn't mean anything. She bought presents for all her friends. And she had taken weekends to visit other friends while she was away. It wasn't like this trip meant anything more than the others had. It couldn't. He refused to believe it. He'd only crush his hopes if he did.

Then again, he had no right to hope at all.

"Killer, open your present already," Nami ordered while Kid continued to stare at her. He was having a very hard time taking his eyes off of her. He tore his gaze away when he caught her peeking at him from the corner of her eye, a wicked little smile tugging at her lips, before she reached under the table to squeeze his thigh.

That was a bold move. One that had his thoughts deep in the gutter. And going deeper with every second her hand remained innocently on his leg.

What the fuck was she thinking? Testing his control? His resolve? Did she want him to bend her over the table and fuck her senseless? Did she know how close he was to doing just that? And just from a hand on his damn leg?

Killer got a set of signed drumsticks. Kid couldn't even find the will to care. He muttered a short _'Nice'_ before Nami took her hand off of him to reach in her purse and he finally remembered how to breathe.

"And last but not least," Nami announced as she pulled out a plain white envelope and slapped it in the middle of the table. "You all owe me so many favors, your children will be repaying me after you die. And if you don't have any children, I will find you in hell, and you'll be repaying me for all eternity."

Kid laughed as he took the envelope and opened it. "If these are the tickets you promised, they aren't worth…" He trailed off to gape. "You're getting us backstage again!"

"And you are guaranteed to meet the band," Nami said with a nod. She looked so smug, and he just wanted to kiss her. "You're welcome."

"How the hell do you get these kinds of things?" he muttered, carefully locking down his urges as he slid out the tickets and passes.

"I keep telling you. It's because I'm cute. And smart enough to know how to work it." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Also their manager was at the bar that night, and he bet that I couldn't out-drink him." Now she really was gloating. "I drank him under the table and he spent the night on the floor in the bathroom. It was his fault for underestimating me."

"Wish I was there to see it," Kid chuckled.

"Ah! I have pictures," Nami said as she pulled her phone out.

She leaned against his side as she pulled the photos up. He forced himself to stay relaxed while he draped his arm over the back of her chair, letting her press even closer. Her tangerine scent filled his lungs, and his heart raced at a dizzying speed. It took every ounce of control he had to focus on the pictures she was swiping through of her night out. There were more of her with the lead singer. A ton of her drinking the manager under the table.

"That's Ace," Nami said, pointing to a man with black hair and a wide grin who was handing her another pint. In the next picture the manager was face down on the table, and Ace had his arms raised with a cheer as Nami slammed down another empty glass.

Another picture showed Nami with one foot on her victim as he laid on a filthy bathroom floor. She looked pretty buzzed with her pink cheeks as she held her fingers up in a victory sign.

"No mercy," he said, chuckling, and reached up to pat the top of her head. She looked up with a proud smile that made his heart flutter, and when she turned back to her photos, he gave in to one tiny urge. She didn't struggle as he draped his arm around her shoulders, and she only sank against him when he pressed his lips to the top of her head in a short kiss. He swore it was nothing more than a platonic gesture.

"Oh, and I think I understand why you were so pissed off at Law that one night," Nami said suddenly as she flipped through more photos.

"Hm?" he grunted. What night was she talking about? He was always pissed off at that guy.

"That girl he stole from you," Nami said as she found the picture she was looking for. "Apparently they're dating now. Shachi took a picture for me when Law refused to give me details. She's cute."

Kid looked down to see a photo of Trafalgar sitting on a couch with his arm around a blonde girl. She was cute, but he honestly felt nothing seeing her content with another man. No jealousy. No envy. No anger.

"Good for him," he said, and squeezed his arm around Nami's shoulder. "Guess there's no winning him back for you," he teased.

Nami snorted. "And I am just fine with that. I'm glad he's happy."

"So what about you?" Kid asked as he finally began to relax. She glanced at him, confused, and he shot her a crooked smirk. "I know you've been holding out on me. There's gotta be someone over there keeping you company."

Nami rolled her eyes. "The only people I've spent time with are _friends_, Kid. I told you, I have no desire to date anyone over there. Anyway, I'll be back here in five more months. There is no point in dating someone I'm just going to leave in the end."

"You might meet someone you'll want to stay there for," he argued.

"I have more important people I'm coming back to here," she said flatly with a smack to his leg.

"Then they might come back with you," he reasoned, shrugging. He hoped not, but he refused to get his hopes up that her flirting meant anything.

Nami glowered at him, and then looked away. "I have other plans. Dating would get in the way of them." She grabbed a pint of beer and held it over to him with a sharp glare. "Now are we going to celebrate your birthday properly, or do you want to keep nagging me about things I have no interest in?"

He took the glass and grinned at her, squeezing her against his side. "Definitely rather be celebrating," he decided. Now that she was there, he had every reason to be celebrating, and he wasn't going to waste another second of the little time he had with her.

* * *

They spent that night playing pool, drinking, talking, _flirting_. He was too elated to have her there to question every time she wound her arms around his waist, or playfully bumped her hip against his to mess up a shot, or casually ran her hand over his thigh while they sat at the table. He refused to think about the gestures he made in return, the kisses to the top of her head, the pinches to her waist, the squeezes to her hand. He couldn't even blame the alcohol for their behavior. Neither of them drank that much.

By one in the morning, Nami was ready to leave. He was disappointed to see her go, but she had a flight to catch the next night, and he knew she was still tired from the flight in. So, despite how badly he wanted her to stick around a few hours more, he walked her out to the parking lot, keeping her tucked against his side. She felt so right there, her warm curves pressed to him. He couldn't believe it had been over a year since the last time he was allowed to hold her as much as he wanted to, without reserve.

"How the hell did you drive that thing?" Kid laughed when he spotted the huge blue truck parked near the back of the building.

"Franky created adjustable pedals so if someone other than him needed to drive it, they could actually reach them," she said. "It's still a challenge. I wanted to take Sanji-kun's car, but he had to work tonight."

"You could have just ridden your bike," he said.

"You would have noticed it," she huffed. "The point was to surprise you."

He chuckled as he squeezed her against him. "Guess ya got a point there."

Nami laughed. "And it looked like it worked. You looked incredibly surprised to see me."

He snorted. "Honestly thought I was hallucinating."

She spun out of his hold with a giggle, and then looked up at him with pure mischief in her eyes. "I have another surprise for you," she hinted. "I'm hoping you'll like it even more."

His brow rose. "You set on spoiling me tonight, or something?"

"Something like that," she cooed teasingly and stepped closer.

He was confused but excited when she touched his waist, waited with bated breath as her hands ran up his chest. He didn't think about it as his hands went to her waist while her arms slowly wrapped around his neck. Her fingers teased the sensitive skin behind his ears, and he couldn't restrain the shiver that shot down his spine.

"I've really missed you, Kid," she whispered as she tugged him down.

"Missed you, too," he muttered, barely loud enough for him to hear over the heartbeat thundering in his ears just before her lips brushed his.

It was an innocent kiss. Sweet and coaxing, maybe a little scared. But it was a kiss. One he easily returned, even as he began to once again wonder if he was dreaming. It wouldn't be the first time he dreamed of her kisses, and he was certain it wouldn't be the last. But the dream didn't end when she pulled away with an anxious smile he couldn't stop staring at.

He took a breath just before she kissed him again. This time harder, her kiss filled with determination and conviction. He held her closer as he kissed her back, groaning against her lips. He didn't want to stop, didn't want to release her. He wanted to hold her there, sink into a woman he never should have given up, and savor every moment he had her.

She pulled away, only far enough for both of them to catch a breath. His hand went to her hair, and he couldn't say if he pulled her into the next kiss, or if she had pulled him, but they were kissing again and that was all that mattered to him. Her head tilted, lips parted, and he slammed her back into the truck as he happily took the invitation to devour her.

Citrus filled his senses, exploded on his tongue. She had a few screwdrivers that night. They had never tasted as good as they did on her lips. They never made him feel more drunk than he felt right then. His head spun with desire, with need. And when she moaned for him, he swore his knees buckled at the sound because she needed him, too.

"Kid," she whispered in the brief second he pulled away for another breath. He never heard his name spoken with such affection, with a silent plea he could never deny, and he eagerly reclaimed her lips to give her exactly what she wanted.

The hand at her waist drifted down when her hips pressed to his. He took her thigh, hitched it on his hip, and swallowed her cry as he bucked his hard length against her. He couldn't breathe, and he was certain she couldn't either, but neither of them would end the kiss, even as it turned messy and distracted with every roll of his hips into hers. He shuddered and groaned as electricity coursed along his spine to settle low in his gut, driving him to grind against her even harder.

He couldn't get enough of her. Couldn't touch enough of her. Couldn't taste enough of her.

His hand left her hair as she arched into him. Her breast was as soft as he remembered, filled his palm better than any other, and her moan at his touch resonated through him until he felt his stomach flutter with the desperate need for a release he only wanted with her.

He finally relinquished her lips so he could suck the spot below her ear that always turned her into putty in his hands. Her breaths came with high pitched gasps, her head fell back, begging him to mark her flesh, claim her as his. He nipped her skin at the same time his hand pushed under her shirt, and she cried out beautifully as he pinched a sensitive nipple.

"Kid," she gasped as her hand fell down to his chest. She didn't stop him or push him away. Her fingers worked over his muscles, as eager to touch him as he was to touch her. "I want…" She paused to shudder in his arms. She didn't need to tell him what she wanted, though. He knew the second her hand grasped the front of his pants and squeezed his hard cock. He hissed a quiet curse. He wanted that, too. More than anything. He _needed _that. So much so, it hurt. "Take me home with you," she pleaded as her hand dove into his pants. He almost lost all feeling in his legs the moment he felt her fingers wrap around him. "Please, Kid. Please," she whimpered while she tugged on his length.

He slammed his lips back to hers with a growl. He wanted to take her back home. He wanted to be thrusting deep inside her, not into her hand. He wanted to have her beneath him, where she belonged, and hear her scream and beg him for more. He doubted they would make it that far, though. His body was too starved, and he could tell that hers was, too. They wouldn't make it out of that parking lot, at least not before he made them both come once. He'd fuck her in the bed of the truck if he had to. He couldn't wait long enough for a bed.

She whimpered against his lips as his hand trailed down her stomach to toy with the new charm on her belly button that taunted him all night. Her skin was so soft, silky. It responded to the faintest of touches. He didn't have to be rough with her to make her hot and needy, but she still let him grab her hard and mark her creamy flesh with his fingertips and lips, welcoming the marks that branded her as his. There were plenty of nights she begged him to take her as rough as he could, and made sure to mark him in returned. He definitely wanted to leave her with as many bruises as he could that night, and be left with a back burning from her scratches.

He wanted to give her better bruises than the ones that drove him to give her up.

The memory assaulted him before he knew it, and suddenly the whimpers of need sounded too much like whines of pain and the shivers of pleasure turned to shudders of fear. He tore away from her, shouting a curse as he shoved himself off of her and buckled from the pain of losing her touch.

"Shit," he gasped as he crouched on the ground, panting for air to fill his lungs while he whimpered at the weighty ache left unsatisfied in his groin. He had to grab himself as the pain only got worse, and squeezed his eyes shut at the pressure. "Fuck," he shouted. He was an idiot. Why the hell did he stop?

"Kid?" Nami asked softly, confused and concerned.

Oh right, she was why he stopped. He couldn't look at her just yet. She was probably mussed up, with swollen red lips beckoning for him to kiss her again, and a rumpled shirt begging to be torn off.

"Did I… Did I hurt you?" she asked when he didn't say anything.

He heard her step closer, and raised a hand to stop her. "Don't," he growled harshly. "Don't touch me."

She froze and stammered for something to say, even more confused.

"We can't do this," he said, his voice strained and raw. He wanted to, more than anything, but he _couldn't_. He didn't deserve to have her.

"What? Why not?" Nami asked.

He growled. "Because I can't…. Shit…" He stopped to curl in on himself. It was a struggle to breathe.

He hadn't thought for a second how Nami would react to his rejection. He realized very quickly that he should have, but all that mattered was stopping himself before he ruined her life.

"That isn't an answer, Kid," Nami snapped, her temper razor thin. "Don't you dare think about lying to me again! I know you don't have a girlfriend!"

He groaned. He was in no mood to fight, but his own temper was strained after denying himself something he had been dreaming about for months.

"It's not that!" he shouted. "I can't do this to you again, Nami! We broke up for a reason!"

"I don't care about that anymore!" she yelled back. "I want this, Kid, and I can tell you want it, too!"

"It doesn't matter what I want! I hurt you, Nami!"

"And I've forgiven you for that!"

He groaned. She was being stubborn, and he wanted to kiss her for it, but he couldn't.

He forced himself to stand. It was more difficult than it should be. He had been closer to coming than he thought.

"That isn't the only reason we broke up," he insisted. "You're only here for tonight. You're leaving again tomorrow. I can't let you go again. It'll drive me insane."

"I'm coming back, Kid," she argued. "It's only five more months."

"And the last five months have been torture enough without you here," he yelled. "We weren't even together, and I couldn't stand having you so far away. Especially not with you flirting and teasing me every time you called! Do you know how many times I nearly gave up everything to fly over there and take you back!"

Her eyes widened in shock, and he turned away with another curse, digging his hands through his hair. He shouldn't have told her that.

"I wouldn't have cared," she said softly. "I would have been ecstatic if you came for me."

His head fell back with another pained groan. Why was she making this so difficult? He was right about this. He knew he was. This was for her own good.

"You shouldn't be. You should be moving on."

"I don't want to," she yelled stubbornly. "I don't need to."

"Yes you do!" he shouted back, turning to face her again. "We can't be together again!"

"You don't even mean that!"

"Yes I do!"

She stomped her foot and got in his face. "Even if you thought that, you don't want it to end that way! I know you want me back, too! You said it when you broke up with me!"

He had to step away from her and cover his eyes. Why did they both have to be so stubborn?

"I know you still have my pictures. I know you have them back out. You still want me back, no matter what you say," she ranted some more. His eyes snapped wide as something clicked into place.

He had been suspicious the whole time she was gone. She was flirting and sending pictures, calling him every week. She made herself central to his thoughts, even while away, hooked him in to the point he always knew to expect her call. Hadn't he been worried about missing her call that night?

Not only that, he couldn't get laid once while she was away. Apoo picked fights. Bonney and her crew, too. Trafalgar and his friends stole any girl he looked at. Franky's brother charmed a woman he had been talking to, and she gave her number to their other friend. Franky's crew had begun bringing the underworld shop parts right after she left. Franky was constantly calling him, even brought him parts at this house, where he surely saw the pictures he put back up in his workshop. Luffy and Zoro distracted him at the bar any time he glimpsed at another person, invaded his space until whoever he looked at was long gone. Robin and Sanji began conveniently running into him on the street and casually brought up Nami any time they could. And he saw Usopp on the college campus – he thought he was drawing, but there were plenty of times he had been sneaking around the auto shop.

And his own friends had conspired to surprise him with Nami's visit, teasing him the whole night about getting him laid.

"You…" he began as it all began to make sense. "You fucking bitch!"

"What?" she shrieked.

"You! I can't believe you did that!"

"What?" she asked again, exasperated.

"You've been cockblocking me from the other side of the world!" he accused, and he knew he was right the second her mouth fell open in shock and she struggled to find some sort of excuse. "You even got Trafalgar in on it! That's something I would do! You're supposed to be better than that!"

She scoffed at him. He was absolutely livid with her, and she had the audacity to _scoff_ at him.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" he shouted when she failed to deny his accusation.

"I was thinking that I didn't want anyone touching _my man_," she said frankly.

One part of him was thrilled to hear her claim him again, but another part, a much larger part, was too pissed off to enjoy it.

"I'm not yours!" he forced himself to argue, ignoring the hurt that flashed through her eyes. "I broke up with you! You were supposed to find someone else! You weren't supposed to keep me on the fucking hook to play with whenever you want! You were supposed to run off and be happy with a rich doctor that didn't treat you like shit!"

"But you didn't treat me like shit!"

"Yes I did! I forced you to be with me! I forced you to pick me over your friends! I _hurt_ you! I _do not_ deserve to be yours! And I damn well don't deserve to have your forgiveness this time!"

"Yes you do!" she shrieked. "You gave me up! You did the last thing either of us thought you would! You gave me a _choice_, Kid, and I've chosen _you_. You never forced me to do anything that I didn't want to do! Yes, you were a prick to me right before we broke up, but I didn't even know you were struggling that much until you snapped. If I had known – "

"It wouldn't have changed a damn thing," he interrupted.

"Yes it would have," she argued. "I could have reassured you. I could have made sure you knew how important you were to me. I was building a life with you, Kid, and I didn't want to give that up all because you had a bad day."

"I knew I was important to you," he shouted. "You made it so fucking obvious, but it wasn't enough! I couldn't handle knowing I wasn't the only important person in your life. I couldn't stand sharing you with your own fucking friends."

"But you can now," she insisted. "You've been fine since –"

"Since I _broke up_ with you! You weren't mine! I had no right to get pissed off every time you were with them and not me! But my feelings haven't changed, Nami! I still hate sharing you, I hate thinking about you off with other people!"

"No you don't," she argued. "You say that, but you don't mean it. You're just scared."

"I'm not scared!"

"Yes you are! You're terrified of making the same mistakes, but Kid…" She stopped to stifle a shriek. "One of the things I love about you is how hard you try to be better. To be the _best!_ You screwed up once. You crossed a line you drew yourself. And you punished yourself so I wouldn't have to. But I know you would never make that mistake again, because you _are_ better than that. Because you said it yourself, you love me too much to ever hurt me like that again!"

"You shouldn't put so much faith in those words," he growled coldly. "You shouldn't trust me. I had a bad day and took it out on you. What happens when I have worse day? Are you just going to forgive me again? No. I'm not going to let you put yourself in that position again."

Her anger simmered with those words. She still tried to hold onto that fire, even as her eyes shone with frustrated tears. He balled his hands into fists to restrain the urge to hug her and take it all back, scowling down at her with stubborn resolve. He couldn't budge on this. He wouldn't.

"Coward," she bit out, her voice strangled with emotion. That one word was a knife to his heart as she turned to get in the truck. "You fucking coward," she screamed as she climbed in.

He still refused to move, even as his own eyes burned. He hung his head to hide the wince that came as the truck door slammed shut and the engine started. She didn't pull away immediately, though. If she was waiting for him to change his mind, she would be waiting a lifetime.

"I'm not giving up," she shouted out the window. His head snapped up, eyes wide. "You refused to give up when I was being a coward, so I'm not giving up, either." She pointed at him out the window. "You're the asshole who claimed me as your woman, and now you have to deal with the consequences of that choice. So, Eustass Kid, you are my man, and don't you dare forget that, you stubborn idiot."

He could only gape as she tore out of the parking lot.

He watched after her truck until the taillights vanished, and continued to stare as he listened the lingering echo of the engine. He stood there in silent shock until the pain in his chest began to fade, and he finally remembered the pain in his balls that forced him to shrivel down onto his haunches again.

"Shit," he hissed, squeezing his eyes shut.

He should have just fucked her in the damn truck.

He really was an idiot.

* * *

_**A/N: **This chapter got so much longer than I anticipated it to, but I doubt anyone is complaining. As I said, Nami's behavior is super problematic, and it will be addressed in the next chapter. Kid did plenty of problematic things at the beginning of this, though, sooooo it's about damn time he was on the receiving end of possessive claims and weird mind games._

_If you're wondering who the singer Nami met is - in my head it was Corey Taylor of Slipknot. Because Kid would be a huge Slipknot fan, of course._

_As for the cute blonde Law's apparently now dating - we shall call her female Cora-san analogue. That's really all you need to know about her. Just know that he's happy because she's way more patient with his moodiness and is fine with the slower pace of emotional intimacy and doesn't have an ex-boyfriend waiting in the wings to steal her back. :) Everyone gets a happy ending, even if I'm only writing the happy ending for Kid and Nami. Which I know doesn't look all that happy with the fight at the end, but that was actually a very emotional fight for Kid because he finally admitted to a lot of his insecurities out loud, which really needed to happen eventually or else things would never get better. And yes, he blue balled himself. He's a fucking idiot._

_I am very much looking forward to your reactions to this chapter._

_Three more chapters left, by the way._


	42. Chapter 42

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_Aftermath_

Her friends hadn't expected her to come back to the house that night, so when she stormed in they had all been soundly asleep. At least they had been until she woke them by slamming doors and stomping around her room still in the midst of a frustrated tantrum. She even woke Zoro.

She couldn't believe Eustass Kid, of all people, refused to sleep with her. Kid! The man she could turn on just by existing in the same room. And to make it worse, he refused to take her back, even though he obviously wanted her.

"Nami?" Luffy groggily asked from her door as she tore through her luggage in search of her nightclothes. She spun around to see him leaning against the frame, rubbing at an eye, and for some reason that only pissed her off more. "Why aren't you at Kid's?" he asked.

"Because he's an idiot," she yelled before grabbing a pillow to throw at him as hard as she could. "Now get out."

The pillow smacked him right in the face, and knocked Luffy off balance. He fell to the floor and was immediately replaced with an irritated Zoro.

"Oi, don't take your shit out on us," Zoro said, ducking the next pillow she threw. "You're the one who woke us up."

She stifled a scream and turned back to her clothes. "I just want to go to sleep and then go back to school and get as far away from that idiot as I can," she yelled.

"What did he do?" Zoro asked with an exhausted sigh. Luffy invited himself into her room first and settled onto her bed with his legs crossed and a curious frown on his face. Zoro came in after to sit on the floor by her bed, and then the rest of the house followed to fill her room.

She groaned in defeat and threw herself onto the bed beside Luffy.

"He didn't do anything," Nami explained sharply.

"Then why the hell are you so angry?" Zoro grumbled.

She glared at him while Sanji sighed.

"She's home right now, idiot. She _wanted_ him to do something, but since he didn't…" Sanji trailed off to gesture at her. "I can't believe that brute has the nerve to reject someone as beautiful as Nami-san."

She pouted sulkily. She couldn't believe it, either. Though, he hadn't exactly rejected her. He was more than happy to kiss her back, and she knew he wanted her. She told him to take her home with him, and she was certain he would have. Or at least climbed into the truck with her to take her right then and there. But for some stupid reason he started _thinking_ with his other brain and ruined the mood. _Idiot._

"She has a hickey," Zoro pointed out, and Nami slapped her hand against her neck. "So obviously he didn't reject her, swirly-brow."

"Huh?" Sanji came over to the bed and tried to look at her neck while she covered the mark. "He left such a blemish on your lovely skin! I'm going to give that shitty bastard the beating he should have gotten from the start," he shouted.

"It's no big deal, Sanji-kun," she sighed, letting her hand fall away.

"I don't get it, Nami," Usopp interjected. "He obviously did _something_, so why are you here and all pissed off?"

She frowned, uncertain how to answer that. She really couldn't share the details of her night. At least not the way it ended. She felt her cheeks heat and looked away from everyone.

"He said he doesn't deserve to be with me."

"Well, that I can agree with," Sanji muttered, raising his brow when she glared at him. "He hurt you."

"He was upset," she argued.

"Don't excuse his behavior," Sanji lectured. "I understand that you've forgiven him, but don't excuse it. Don't let him get away with it. He obviously isn't."

"I'm not," she huffed. "But he doesn't have to keep punishing himself for it. He wants me back, no matter how much he denies it. He's just being a coward."

Zoro snorted. "You would definitely know." She glared at him, and he sighed. "I told you to give him more time."

"I couldn't wait any longer," she said. "And it's not like he wasn't pushy about getting together with me from the start."

"Yeah, but this time he's had it in his head that you would move on from him, and the last few months he's been trying to do the same, only to have all of us get in the way of that," Zoro pointed out. "Now suddenly you're throwing yourself at him -"

"I didn't throw myself at him," she interrupted with a shriek, smacking him in the face with another pillow.

Zoro shoved the pillow away with a growl. "You absolutely did," he argued, gesturing at her neck. "Considering how stubborn that man's been about this, you wouldn't have that mark if you didn't make the first move. Congratulations, Nami, you broke his resolve because you wanted one night with him."

"It wasn't going to be for just a night," she huffed.

"That's what it would have been to him. You leave tomorrow."

"I'm coming back," she said slowly. "Do all you men think five months is the same as an eternity?"

"It might as well be, especially when dealing with a woman playing manipulative mind games. He's put himself under a lot of pressure and being pulled in different directions is only going to make it worse. You should have been honest with him from the start, then he could have decided what to do for himself," Zoro argued.

"What is there for him to decide?" she snapped. "I want him back. He wants me back. Neither of us are dating anyone else. I've forgiven him and put the past behind us –"

"But he hasn't," Luffy interjected suddenly, shocking Nami with the simple straightforwardness of his tone. She gaped at his blank expression. "He's still thinking about it."

"Luffy's right. He's been beating himself up over that night for more than a year," Sanji said. "And the idiot moss-head is right, too, we've only made it worse by keeping him focused on you. He hasn't forgotten what he did, and he shouldn't, but he isn't going to put it behind him while you're holding him back for yourself."

Robin cleared her throat from where she was waiting by the door with Franky. She smiled sympathetically. "We were all willing to help you, but perhaps you should take a step back for now. He knows what you want now, so if he truly wants to feel like he deserves you, then he needs time to accept your feelings and come to terms with his own."

Her lip quivered. That thought scared her. What if he did move on this time?

"You gotta trust him, girlie," Franky added. "And he's going to have to trust you, too. A night in bed wasn't going to fix everything, and you know it."

"Yeah, especially when you were just taking advantage of his frustrations for your own gain," Zoro added.

She smacked the back of his head. "I wasn't taking advantage of him."

"Yes you were! You literally starved the man and then waved yourself in front of him like a piece of meat! You put him in a position that guaranteed he wouldn't say no!"

"Well obviously it didn't work since he did say no!"

They growled at each other until Luffy put a hand on her shoulder, snapping her from the stand-off. Her best friend grinned at her. "Robin's right. You did what you could, and we all know you're determined to get him back, but you have to trust him now. I'm sure he saw your resolve. Now let him find his own," Luffy said. "Everything will work out in the end."

"How can you be so optimistic?" she groaned.

Luffy snickered as he scratched beneath his nose. "Because I have a good feeling about this."

Nami sighed. Maybe they were right. She told Kid exactly how she felt this time, all she could do was step back and hope he came through.

"Alright," she said, slumping in defeat. "I'll back off for a while."

* * *

Kid had never been happier to see Monday come. Nami would be on her plane, flying far away from him again, and he could go to class and throw himself into work to forget his weekend. What had started out as a great Saturday night, turned into a miserable Sunday hiding in a bed without the woman who actually pleaded for him to take her home. The woman he was an idiot to deny.

In all the months they had dated, Nami never begged like that. At least not that quickly. He had no idea how he managed to push her away. He wanted to give her everything she asked for, yet somehow he refused her. After she left, he cursed the brief moment of rational thought his brain grasped onto that drove him to end things before he took advantage of an offer she would someday surely regret.

And then there was her claim. She had showed some possessiveness in the past, nothing like his own, but to boldly make a claim, just as he had once done for her… He was floored and had no idea what to do. He loved it when she felt possessive of him, because he felt the same way about her, and this time he couldn't deny the truth in her statement. She had said it with unabashed honesty, with a fierce determination to show him she meant it, and he wished he wasn't so stubborn so he could let her win.

He was trying to protect her. He swore that he would, even if he had to protect her from himself. He was right about this. He knew he was. But for once he truly wished he was wrong.

It did no use thinking about it. He only grew more frustrated and angry with himself. That was why he was glad to be back in the auto shop, his head under the hood of some old clunker, covered in oil and grease as he tinkered with the engine. That was the only time he could stop thinking about her, and he welcomed the reprieve.

"Hmmmm, what's that?" an obnoxious voice asked beside him.

So focused on his task, he didn't bother to look up. "Intake manifold."

"And that?"

"Fuel rail."

"And that?"

"Cylinder head."

"What's the thing you're fiddling with there?"

"A valve," he answered flatly.

"What's wrong with it?"

"I don't know."

"How are you going to fix it?"

"That's what I'm figuring out."

"Hmmm, is it hard to fix?"

"Not really."

"How long will it take?"

"Don't know yet."

"When will you know."

"Once I know what's wrong."

"When will that be?"

"I don't know," he growled, slowly losing his patience.

"Okay…"

Blissful silence reigned for a minute, and Kid completely forgot someone had been talking to him.

"Why'd you turn Nami down?"

The question startled him, and he automatically straightened, intent on growling at whoever asked it. He only managed to slam his head into the hood of the car.

"What the fuck?" he snarled as he gripped the back of his head and carefully pulled away to see Luffy leaning over the engine beside him. The younger man blinked at him, heedless of Kid's thinned temper. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was looking for Usopp, but I got lost… But then I found you, so here I am." Luffy grinned and snickered.

"Bullshit," Kid growled as he spun away to grab a towel from his toolbox and wipe the grease off his hands. He needed to do something with his hands before he throttled Luffy. "Nami sent you to check up on me, didn't she?"

"Nope," Luffy said, following after him. "She doesn't know I'm here."

"So you here to punch me like ya should have over a year ago?" he asked as he tossed the towel back down. He looked over to see Luffy playing with the creeper as though it were a skateboard, rolling it back and forth. "Stop messing around!" he shouted just as Luffy kicked it toward another student's car. It hit a crack in the cement floor and flipped over to slam into the back of the other mechanic. Kid smacked his hand to his face. "I'm seriously going to kill you."

Luffy snickered and then threw himself onto a rolling stool to spin around.

"I'm not here to beat you up," he explained. "I just want to know why you won't make Nami happy?"

Kid growled. "She's happier without me. She just refuses to see it."

"Hmm, no, I'm pretty sure she's happier with you," Luffy argued.

"You're an even bigger idiot than I thought, then," Kid grumbled as he grabbed a wrench, intent on escaping the pointless conversation. "Now beat it. I'm working."

Luffy rolled after him and slammed into the car with a cheerful laugh. "You're the idiot, Kid," he said. "Trust me. Before she left to see you, it was the happiest I had seen her since you two broke up. She's definitely happier with you."

"She just thinks she is," he grumbled, despite the fact he wanted to grin like an idiot after hearing Nami had been that excited to see him again. "She's wrong."

Luffy sighed. "You really are being stubborn about this. No wonder Nami was so upset when she got home."

Kid clenched his jaw as he ducked beneath the hood again. Maybe if he ignored him, he would go away.

Luffy came to lean under the hood beside him, his head propped in the palm of his hand, and glowered at him. "Why are you running from her?"

"I'm not running," he insisted through clenched teeth. "She tell you that, too?"

"She didn't have to. It's pretty obvious," Luffy said flatly.

If Luffy said it was obvious, then it had to be, but Kid would continue to deny it. He wasn't running from her. He wasn't a coward. He was doing what was best for Nami.

"We all talked about it before she left," Luffy continued. "She agreed to pull back so you could move on."

"I have moved on," Kid grumbled.

Luffy snorted. The idiot wasn't intimidated by his scowl for a second.

"Anyway, we're not supposed to bother you anymore."

"Yet here you are. _Bothering me_," he growled. "Why the hell did you guys even help her with that scheme in the first place? Shouldn't you be doing the opposite and talking her out of it?"

Luffy huffed. "We tried, but Nami's stubborn. And when she's _really_ determined to have something, she's extra scary." He scowled. "She also hits harder."

Kid bit his tongue to restrain his chuckle. As sweet and caring as Nami was, she had a mean streak he loved just as much. He could never guess which side of her he would get, but that meant he was never bored when he was with her. Especially not when one second she could be screaming at him, and the next she could be kissing him.

He hung his head and groaned. "She said she wasn't gonna give up."

"And she isn't," Luffy said. "She's just going to give you space to think. She's forgiven you, but she's realized you haven't forgiven yourself."

"I can't," he bit out. "I don't give a shit if she's forgiven me for it. She's forgiven me for a ton of things she probably shouldn't have."

"Because she loves you," Luffy said frankly.

"Because she's a fool," Kid forced himself to argue.

"You don't mean that," he sang. "You love her, too."

Kid snarled at him and shoved him out from under the hood of the car. "Stop meddling with things that ain't any of your business."

"This _is_ my business," Luffy said, with a surprisingly stern tone. Kid glanced over his shoulder to see him standing straight, arms crossed, and expression deadly serious. "I promised Genzo I would protect her smile. I swore it to her mother, too. When you made her cry, I didn't do anything because you made yourself cry, too. I couldn't hurt you any more than you were hurting yourself." He ignored Kid's low growl. "And I trusted that you wouldn't take her smile away again. I tried to help her move on, but Tora-o wasn't enough to make her forget what she lost."

The knowledge that Luffy was the one to push her toward Trafalgar stung, but he couldn't be angry. He had tried to push her closer to Trafalgar, too. All he did was help her ruin a perfectly good chance at happiness with someone else.

"I know Nami is strong enough to get over you if she wants to, but she doesn't. She's happy enough on her own, but she's happier with you. And it's the same for you. You didn't want to let her go before, and you still don't," Luffy added.

"As I told her, doesn't matter what either of us want. I can't be with her. It's for her own good," Kid muttered quietly.

"She said you never meant to hurt her, and she believes in you enough to know you won't ever do that again," Luffy argued. "Why can't you trust her?"

"I do," he grunted, turning back to his work. This conversation was as pointless as his thoughts after she left.

"No, you don't. If you trusted her, you wouldn't have been upset with her in the first place, and you wouldn't be fighting with her about this now." Luffy growled under his breath and then spun away with a huff. "I trust that Nami knows what she's doing. It's about time you started believing the best in her, too."

Kid listened to Luffy stomp off. When he couldn't hear his sandals smacking against the concrete anymore, Kid slumped over the car with a drawn out sigh. The whole conversation left him exhausted. It wasn't easy denying things he knew were true. He had broken up with Nami in the hopes that he might one day have her come back to him, but now that the day had come, he just couldn't accept it. Nami could do better, and she was bound to realize that eventually. He had been a fool to think he deserved a chance at getting her back. He wouldn't let her be just as foolish.

Yet for that brief second he thought her friends had talked her out of it, he couldn't deny how much that thought hurt. When Luffy said they would pull back, that Nami would give him space to think, he thought that meant she had given up on him. And then when Luffy said she hadn't, for another second he felt relief before he shoved that feeling away. She _should_ give up on him. Even if he doesn't want her to.

He smacked his wrench against his forehead to snap himself from his circling thoughts. They were still a waste of time.

He forced himself to get back to work.

He ended up taking apart a whole engine for no reason that day. But at least it kept him from thinking about her.

* * *

The weekend after she left him again, Kid made an effort to go out with his friends. It was out of habit that he let them talk him into going to the bar for a few drinks and a round of pool. They were more careful about it, and he could tell Killer felt a little guilty for his part in Nami's scheme. Killer was supposed to be on his side, after all. He was supposed to agree with him when he said he wasn't able to handle a relationship with her again, that he didn't deserve to have her.

Killer still didn't agree with him, but he kept that opinion to himself after they argued about it.

Kid decided to go along with them. He wanted to stick to the routine they had. If he stayed at home and commiserated over Nami's behavior and his rejection of her, he wouldn't get anywhere. She might have been holding him back, keeping him on the hook for months, but he hadn't done anything to stop her, and he had been doing it to himself for the whole first year after they broke up. The only difference was he at least got laid when he was the only one holding on.

They walked into Shakky's Friday night to find it startlingly empty. Even if Luffy said they were pulling back and giving him space, he didn't really believe it. But not a single one of her friends was there that night. Trafalgar and his friends weren't there, either. Even Scratchmen was missing, much to his relief. There was no one there to get in his way that night, to remind him of Nami. He was completely free to make his own choices.

And somehow that made him feel miserable.

"So? What are you going to do?" Killer asked as they settled in with a pitcher and food.

Kid glanced around. There weren't many girls in the room that night. At least none that were single, save for a couple of girls that came together, but they were either too old or not his type, and he couldn't find the energy to make an effort with any of them. There was a guy with lavender hair that was pretty enough, but that would take even more effort on his part, with a higher chance of being shot down, so it was pointless to try.

And he wasn't in the mood to try with any of them. He almost wished Scratchmen was there to pick a fight with. That was about all he was in the mood for.

"Nothing," he grunted, spinning his pint glass as he idly wondered if Nami would refrain from calling him, too. "Ain't in the mood to get laid." At least not with anyone in that room. Or in that city. Or on the continent. He really should have fucked her in the truck. "Let's just play pool for a while, then I'm going home."

Killer smacked him on the back and nodded his agreement.

They were in the middle of their second game when his cell rang, and Kid debated whether he should answer it or not. He hated it when she ignored his calls, and he couldn't bring himself to do that to her. He waved at the guys to keep playing while he sat down at the table.

"Surprised you're calling me," he said instead of a greeting. "Thought I made it clear where I stood."

Nami sighed. "I almost didn't," she admitted. "I'm not supposed to be calling you."

"Yeah, Luffy told me you were gonna leave me alone."

"I don't like how we left things last weekend. I just called to… I don't know, talk about it while we were calmer."

He gave a wry snort. She meant when they weren't torn between thoughts of strangling each other or mentally undressing each other. Or at least not in the same room to act on either.

"There isn't anything to talk about," he grunted.

"I think there's plenty to talk about," she huffed.

He groaned in defeat, and stood from the table to head toward the back. He would have more privacy outside. He had a feeling he would need it if Nami was so determined to talk to him about this.

"Like what?" he asked once he was seated on top of the rickety table Shakky had out there.

"I know you haven't forgiven yourself, and I understand why you don't want to, but I don't think you should use that as an excuse to stay miserable."

"I ain't miserable," he muttered. "At least I wouldn't be if someone wasn't sticking herself into my business from a million miles away."

Nami sighed, exasperated. "As you said, you would have done the same thing. In fact, if you knew people over here, I'm sure you would have had them keeping tabs on me while I was away."

"I wouldn't have told them to keep you from getting laid," he argued.

"Yes you would have," she said.

"If we were dating, yeah, but not when we're broken up. And anyway, even I know how fucked up that shit is. That was low of you to do."

"I'm not saying what I did was right, Kid. I'm well aware I was being cruel and manipulative. It's what I do when I want something."

He snorted. That was true enough. Probably why he couldn't find it in him to stay mad over it. In fact, part of him was pretty pleased she wasn't holding back.

"And I'm pretty sure you've already forgiven me for it," she added with a teasing lilt that made him bite back a laugh. She was right about that. It was always a struggle to stay angry with her, especially over a trait he liked about her. "Anyway, we're not talking about what I did, we're talking about what you're doing."

"I'm not doing anything," he said.

"Yes you are. You are refusing to move on."

"I've been moving on plenty."

"I'm not talking about one night stands, Kid. Or pretending to date someone," she huffed. "I'm talking about your unwillingness to move on from what you did. You're letting your guilt hold you back. Not me. If you weren't, you would have been able to do more than have a few flings while I was dating Law."

"Tsh, I didn't want to date any of those chicks."

"Of course you didn't. You only wanted to date me, but since you couldn't have me, you settled on remaining miserable." Her tone of voice told him she rolled her eyes. "And now that I've told you I want you back, you're even more determined to remain miserable and deny yourself what you want."

"Maybe I don't want the same thing as you," he forced himself to grumbled. "Maybe I don't want you back."

She laughed sharply. "You are a horrible liar, Kid. I still have a mark on my neck that says otherwise."

He wrestled with the pride fluttering in his chest. He did love leaving her with another long lasting mark to ward off other men. Just thinking about it made him wish she were there so he could give her even more. He was such a lying hypocrite.

"_But_," she continued, "I think you're right. In a way."

His brows furrowed. He knew he was right, but to hear her say it, right after saying otherwise, had him confused. "Huh?"

"I've been so focused on getting you back, on recovering what we once had, I never stopped to think if we _should_ try to get that back," she explained, which only served to confuse him further. She wasn't finished, though. "While what we had before, to me, was amazing, and wonderful, it obviously wasn't as good for you."

He scowled, trying to figure out what she was saying. He thought their relationship was great before, too. At least when he wasn't feeling jealous and possessive and insecure.

"If it was as good as I thought it was, you wouldn't have been struggling so much without my attention. Something wasn't right for you. And if we picked things up exactly where we left them, then that means we're only going back to a relationship that wasn't as healthy and secure as I thought it was. You're worried about repeating your mistakes, and I think that's a valid concern in that case."

He was finally starting to understand what she was saying. She was putting words to the anxiety he felt around getting her back, and it hurt to hear that he was in fact right, and that she knew it. He hung his head and ran his hand through his hair, unable to refute a thing she said. How could he when it was everything he felt?

Nami had said she wasn't giving up. If that was the case, yet she still saw what was wrong with going back as clearly as he did, then how could she be so certain of her feelings. She couldn't possibly want to put herself in danger of getting hurt again.

"But as I said, I know you can be better. I know _we_ can be better," she said, her resolve evident in her voice. "I shouldn't be striving to get back an unhealthy relationship, I know that, and that's not what I'm after with you. I want a better relationship. I want a _new_ relationship with you. I want to start over with a completely clean slate. I want us to do it right this time."

"Nami, even if we did that, it doesn't change the past. I'll end up –"

"No. You won't," she interrupted sharply. "Because I know you, Kid. I know you wouldn't have done that to someone you care about."

"But I did!"

She groaned. "If we start over and do it right this time, you won't have those same insecurities."

"Yes I will," he argued.

"You were worried that I didn't love you as much as I said because you forced me into a relationship I hadn't wanted to be in, correct? You thought I would find someone I love more, someone who didn't push me as strongly as you did, and leave you. You didn't trust me," she said.

He growled in response, unable to deny it, no matter how much he swore he trusted her.

"I was attracted to you from the start, I was just too scared to admit it, but you saw something there and didn't give up. Were you pushy and annoying? Yes. But you showed me you were loyal, and driven, and honest, and a lot of fun to be with. You're not perfect, but neither am I. And I kind of like your imperfections." She giggled and he couldn't help but smile at the sound. "I mean, if I didn't like people who were unapologetic assholes half the time, I wouldn't have very many friends. And I'm an unapologetic bitch most of the time, and you still like me."

He snorted. That was true. In fact, that was part of why he liked her.

"Then again, I'm cute, so that probably helps," she teased.

He chuckled. "You're also full of yourself."

"But you like that about me," she cooed. "As I was saying, we're not perfect, and I'm fine with that. But I know we have something that can work, and I don't want to give up without making an honest effort at seeing that through. I know if I had been more honest from the start, hadn't been so determined to run away from you, you would have been more secure in knowing how I felt for you. You might still be possessive and jealous, and I heard about what you did to my study partners..."

Her tone was harsh, and he couldn't help but wince.

"But, I'm willing to accept that side of you and make an effort to give you less reason to be violent about it," she finished.

"You shouldn't have to do all the work, Nami," he argued.

"And I don't expect to," she said firmly. "I might accept you for who you are, but I'm not going to let you get away with your shit. I _will_ hold you accountable for every mistake you make. And if you do ever raise a hand to me out of anger, I will make sure you regret the day you were born before kicking your ass to the curb." She delivered her threat with a low tone that sent a shiver down his spine. He liked seeing Nami angry, but the idea of her _that_ angry was honestly terrifying. He didn't want to see her get that angry with him, ever. "But I know you'll never do that to me," she added so cheerfully that it somehow made his blood run cold.

Still, this conversation was giving him hope that he knew he shouldn't have.

"I don't know, Nami," he groaned, struggling with indecisiveness he never knew before. He wanted her, and she wanted him. Hadn't he told her once before that it was a simple fucking decision to make?

"And that's okay," she said sympathetically. "I'm still gone for another five months, and I understand the distance worries you. I'm not going to play any more games with you. I've made up my mind, and I'm going to focus on finishing up my degree here and come back _to you_. If you want me. And in the meantime, you're free to decide what you want for yourself. I won't interfere with your life at all."

He couldn't understand why that hurt. She was giving him a free pass to do as he pleased, while she would stay loyal with the thought of coming back to try a new relationship with him. He couldn't do that to her. He couldn't let her hold herself back while not knowing if he would do the same for her. He wanted to, but he still doubted what she said would work. He would fail her again. He was certain of it.

"I don't know," he repeated, his voice quiet and broken. He just wanted to agree with her and not think about it anymore, but he couldn't.

"It's okay," she said, just as soft. "I trust you to do what you think is best for yourself. And no matter how it turns out, Kid, you're still an important part of my life, and I'll never stop loving you for that."

Those words were a punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of him and leaving him speechless, even as he listened to her sniffle on the other end of the line.

"Um, I'm going to let you go now," she said, clearing her throat and letting out a forced laugh. "It's a little too early for me to be getting this emotional."

"Yeah," he breathed out. The only word, only thought he could grasp on to.

"Good-bye, Kid," she said.

"Bye," he echoed just after she hung up.

He sat completely still as everything she said sank in. His skin felt flushed and his heart seemed to have stopped working altogether. His eyes burned with tears, just as they had when he forced himself to let her go. She was one of the few people in his life to cut him so deep, he couldn't feel anything but the suffocating weight that crushed his chest at the mere thought of letting go. He coughed. He cleared his throat. He sniffled. None of it made it go away, and he curled in to bury his head in his arms as the pain only grew worse.

He didn't have to suffer like this. She had given him a way out, a way forward, but he refused to let go. He was scared to let go.

He was scared that he would only fail her again.

But he knew that if he didn't let go, if he didn't move forward, if he didn't take this chance at a clean slate, then he would be an even bigger failure, utterly worthless.

And hadn't he spent his whole life proving that he was the best? That he wasn't useless? That he wasn't the dumbass, piece of shit with no hope for a future they all claimed him to be?

But Nami had chosen to believe in him when he couldn't even believe in himself.

How could he even think to let her down now?

* * *

_**A/N: **This chapter was going to be way longer, but after that emotional end, I just cannot bring myself to write out the rest. It would make for too abrupt a change in the chapter's tone, so I'm saving it for the next chapter, which means that chapter will now be way longer than I anticipated. But at least it'll be super fluffy. I swear._

_But seriously, Nami sucker punched both me and Kid with one fucking sentence. She is probably the only one capable of flaying him with just a few words and exposing all the emotions he keeps buried beneath that anger._

_Two more chapters to go. And I swear they will probably leave you all as happy piles of goo. That is my goal, at least._


	43. Chapter 43

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_No Holding Back_

The weekend before Nami was set to move back, Kid had gotten a message from Luffy inviting him to the party they were throwing for her. He was eager to see her again, but he was reluctant to go with the strange limbo their relationship had been in over the last five months. He still wasn't certain if getting back together with her was right, no matter how much he wanted to, but he was curious to see what Nami would do once she was in town again. She had said she wouldn't give up on him, and he knew she wouldn't hold back after the lengths she went to while she was away.

The conversation they had after the fiasco that was his birthday had given him a lot to think about, but it had cleared up a lot of his anxieties. He really didn't want to fail her. He didn't want to fail himself. So he took her resolve to heart and did his best to let go of his guilt.

He spent the last five months focusing on school, spending time with his friends, and preparing to open his own garage. He rarely went out to the bars except to play pool with the guys when they wanted to, or to pick a fight with Scratchmen if he was in the mood. Nami and her friends had pulled back, just as they said they would, leaving him free to have a fling or one night stand or even look for a new relationship.

He didn't want to a damn thing with anyone other than Nami, though, so he didn't. Nami had said she wouldn't be dating anyone while she finished her Masters, that she wouldn't even have a fling. She would remain faithful, even if they weren't technically dating. They called each other every weekend, texted back and forth from time to time, and not once did she bring up another guy, so he knew she was being honest in her decision. She was waiting to see him again. And he would wait to see her again, too. He had never abstained from sex for so long, but he hoped that it would be worth the wait.

Then again, he knew that Nami was always worth the wait.

That was another reason he was hesitant about going to the party. He was pushing a year without sex, and after coming so close with Nami when she visited, he wasn't sure how good his restraint would be when he saw her again. Especially not when the party was being held at Franky's with a barbeque in the backyard. Knowing Nami, she would be prancing around in a bikini and having fun in the pool, teasing him until he snapped. He had to practice control with her or else he would lose his mind all over again.

If he didn't learn to control himself, then there would never be any hope of holding onto her a second time.

In the end, he decided to go. He wanted to see her, and if he wasn't there, he knew Nami would be disappointed. Luffy would probably show up at his house and drag him to the party in that case, too. Killer would be with him to make sure he didn't do anything stupid, so he decided he should be alright to see her.

When he walked into the house Saturday afternoon, he realized he would have no problem restraining himself.

"Kid," Nami greeted from the kitchen island. She was perched on a stool, chin cradled in the palm of her hand, with a huge mug of fresh coffee set in front of her. Her hair was a ratty mess, she still wore his shirt and the green sweat pants she flew in, with bags under her eyes and an exhausted smile. "You came," she said, that smile growing, even if it hardly diminished how tired she looked.

"'Course I did," he said. "Luffy said it was a pool party. Figured I might catch a glimpse of a cute girl in a bikini."

Nami snorted as he stood beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She immediately wound her arms around his waist and leaned into him with a relieved sigh.

"But looks like I wasted my time since the cute one's a fucking mess," he teased.

She snorted again and squeezed him tight. "I am way too tired to smack you for that," she groaned, rubbing her cheek against his side. "I just got in an hour ago."

She settled into him with another sigh, and he peeked down to see her eyes shut and a blissful smile on her face.

"Thought you were supposed to get in last night?" he asked.

"Flight got delayed, then I missed my connection, which pushed back the next connection leaving me to spend the night at the airport on an uncomfortable chair. And of course the last flight had a screaming child on it." She groaned as she pressed her face against him. "I like children, but not when they scream and kick the back of my seat for three straight hours. I'd rather take three hours of Luffy on a sugar high. I swear even he doesn't give me this horrible of a headache when he's at his worst."

As much as he pitied her misery, he was glad for it. She wasn't running around in next to nothing. Seeing her in his shirt again was already doing a number on his control, especially with how content she was to sit there and hug him. She was always adorable when she was tired. Maybe with a fouler temper, but still adorable. She turned into a cuddly kitten content with the littlest bit of affection.

She moaned when he ran his hand through her hair. "If you keep doing that, I might fall asleep like this," she groaned. Then he found a spot that made her shiver and he realized he needed to let go of her because he swore she just purred. He wanted to take her to bed to see if he could pull that sound from her again.

"Drink your coffee," he said as he forced himself to pull away. She whimpered, but he ignored it and pushed the mug closer to her. "Shit, you're drinking it black, too. You really are tired."

"Sanji-kun made it extra strong." Nami nodded, lazily picking up the mug to sip at. "I put a lot of sugar in it, too." She glowered down at her mug. "It's my second cup and it's not helping."

"Surprised you guys are even throwing this party," he mused as he sat on the stool beside her.

Nami snorted. "Luffy cancel a party? I could still be stuck on a plane right now, and he'd keep this party going," she said as Killer came up onto her other side. She smiled at him and lazily returned his hug, groaning as she sunk into his side, too. "Luffy would probably take the party to the airport and greet me at baggage claim with a bottle of wine."

"Sounds like you could have used it," Kid joked.

She gave another tired laugh. "Zoro always has a flask on him. I stole it when I made him give me a piggyback ride out to the car." She whined when Killer finally began to extract himself from her hold, not allowing her to fall asleep attached to him. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to fall asleep before dinner's ready."

"You need to eat, Nami-san," Sanji lectured as he came in from the backyard, an empty plate in hand.

"I need to sleep," she whined, pouting at her friend.

"You've hardly eaten anything decent over the last twenty-four hours. You will eat a well-balanced meal, and then you can go to bed," he said firmly. Her pout deepened, but Sanji, for once, stubbornly stood firm. "Your dinner will be ready first. No gets to eat before you."

She groaned as she sunk down onto the counter-top. "Thank you, Sanji-kun."

Sanji patted her on the head as he passed by on his way back to the patio, another tray filled with burgers and fixings in his other hand. Killer trailed out after him, curious about what they would be eating. Kid was left alone with Nami, and was more than content to sit there and watch her nap on the counter-top. She moaned happily when he ran his hand over her back.

"So how are the plans for that garage coming along?" she asked, her voice muffled by her arms.

"Not too bad. Bought a place already, just gotta clean it up, get some equipment, and basic stock. Ought'a be good to open in a month."

"Did you have to get that loan for it?"

"Yeah. But had enough saved up for a good down payment, so got decent terms."

She turned her head to frown at him. "Let me go over the contract. I can probably work out some better terms for you."

He chuckled. "I'm sure you could. But ain't it a little late for negotiations?"

She snorted. "If I'm involved, it's never too late. And the banks are a lot nicer than I am with their contracts."

"'Course they are. They don't charge three-hundred percent interest."

"That's because they have to follow _rules_," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Speaking of rules – you still willing to handle my books? I don't want an accountant with some moral opposition to altering the rules handling my money."

She smiled. "Of course. Does that mean you trust me not to steal from you?"

"I trust you enough."

"Good. We'll negotiate my fee when you open your garage," she said with a teasing wink.

He bit his cheek to keep himself from making a remark about paying her fee with his body. It wasn't the time to be flirting.

"Hey, do you think you can do me a favor next weekend?" she asked, sitting up to stretch.

His eyes dropped to her exposed stomach and the jewel hanging over her naval. It was just a simple gold ball with a red gem in the middle of it, but it was enough to have his whole attention stuck on thoughts of teasing the jewelry with his tongue.

"Sure," he answered without a second thought for what the favor might be.

"Oh, good, Franky was too busy to go house hunting with me, so I could really use your help finding a new place," she said as she grabbed her coffee.

His eyes snapped up from her stomach to watch her chug down her coffee. "House hunting? You buying a place, Kitten?"

She nodded. "Since I shouldn't be leaving for long periods again, I decided it would be best if I bought a home. The guys said I could stay here as long as I want, but…"

"Kid!" Luffy shouted from the backyard before the door burst open, revealing her excited best friend. "Come see what Franky just finished!"

Nami finished her statement with a wave at Luffy that said enough. She needed her space. He was inclined to agree as Luffy grabbed him by the arm, dragging him off his stool and toward the back. If he and Nami got back together, he would definitely prefer her to have her own place. His friends might leave them alone when she was over, but if he spent the night with Nami, there wouldn't be much of any privacy in that house.

"We'll talk later," he called to Nami, relenting to Luffy's wishes as he pulled him outside. He wanted to spend more time with Nami, but she was exhausted, and if he turned Luffy down there, he would just sit there and nag him until Nami lost her temper with both of them.

Not to mention that if he sat there with her any longer, he'd carry her up to bed himself and nap with her until she was awake enough to be ravished.

Nami waved him off with a giggle as she slipped off the stool to follow them outside. She settled at one of the patio tables with Robin while he headed off to the other side of the property to see Franky's latest creation. They would have plenty of time to hang out now that she was back.

He was determined to prove to himself that Nami was right, that he deserved to have her back.

Because he couldn't stand living another day without her.

* * *

The first week she was back, Nami spent most of her time catching up on her sleep as much as she could. It would be her only break for a while as long as everything went according to plan.

She would start working night shifts at Shakky's again the next week. The university was still considering her for the research position, and she wouldn't know if she got it for at least another month. And even with her negotiating skills, she knew the pay would not be the greatest, so she would probably continue to work part-time at the bar whenever she could. And then, of course, she was buying a home, and she already decided to look at places that would likely need a lot of work, which would take up more of her time. At least she had Franky there to help her with any remodeling, and she was determined to get Kid to help her whenever he could, too.

She had a more selfish reason to get him to work on her house. Actually a few selfish reasons, the least of which involved him shirtless and sweaty as he did whatever repairs she asked of him. She blamed her very starved body for conjuring those images in the weeks before she came home, and she cursed Kid for being a gigantic idiot and not taking her when he had the chance.

She might not get a chance to act on those images any time soon, only making it worse. They hadn't discussed their relationship any further after her visit, so she didn't know what he thought about it. She understood his concerns, why he hesitated to take her back, but she hoped that the last few months gave him time to think about it more. She had a good feeling, though. He had begun calling her on weekends if she didn't, and he sent her plenty of pictures from the concert she got him tickets for. He hadn't let her pull back, even though she said she would, and maintained the connection she wanted to keep while she was away. She hoped that meant he was taking her intentions seriously.

Now that she was back, she would see how open he was to a relationship again. If she had to take things slow and wait until they were both fully settled into the new stages they were beginning in their careers, then she would. She wasn't going to rush him, not if it ended with him pushing her away again. She would bide her time to guarantee that he didn't run from her a second time.

When he came to pick her up on his motorcycle the weekend she wanted to house hunt, she found herself hoping that she wouldn't have to wait too long. It had been far too long since she had been on the back of his bike, holding tight around his waist while he raced through the city. It was a simple comfort she took for granted in the past. She imagined he had missed it, too, judging by how often his hand brushed over hers when they had to sit at a light. Every time he did that, she squeezed her arms a little tighter, and he returned the gesture with a tighter grip to her hand.

He was definitely open to a relationship, even if he tried to deny it again.

That day she only planned to look at a couple of houses. She was trying to stay in the area around Franky's house, especially after Robin bought up a new house in the neighborhood while she was away. She wanted to stay close to her friends, plus it was still close to the university, and Kid's house wasn't too far. The houses were also situated on larger lots, with plenty of space for a new tangerine grove. One of the houses even had a small pool. That was a necessity for her, no matter what her bank account said about it.

The neighborhoods she was focusing on were older, and she knew some of the houses wouldn't be in great condition. Franky had volunteered to help her search, but she wanted to spend time with Kid, and after he helped her look for an apartment, she knew she could trust his opinion. In fact, she could probably trust it more since he wouldn't be pushing for her to move in with him the entire time.

The first house they stopped at, Kid didn't even bother getting off his bike. The house across the street could have passed for a landfill and that said enough about the rest of the street. He turned to her with a deadly serious scowl and grunted a stern _No_ before taking off for the next one. The realtor wasn't too happy to watch them take off without a word, but there was no telling Kid to go back and at least look at the house. She didn't much care for that neighborhood, anyway.

The second house was at least better on the outside, but the second they stepped into the living room to find evidence of squatters staying at the foreclosed home, Kid spun around and walked out. Nami at least ventured to the kitchen before agreeing with him. The previous owners had taken to the cabinets with an axe before they left and filled the sink with cement. She wasn't about to waste her time on that mess.

"I know you're cheap, Nami, but this is taking it too far," Kid said from his bike. Leaning against the motorcycle with his arms crossed and scowl in place, he was far from pleased with her choices so far. "Last time you researched every fucking apartment complex and rental near the university. You had it narrowed down to places that could have been passable."

"But this time I'm buying it, and I don't mind investing a little time and effort into fixing up a place," she explained. "It'll be my home, hopefully for a longer time. And if I turn around and sell it in the future, I'll make a bigger profit on the flip."

Kid rolled his eyes. "That place would've been a fucking money pit," he said, gesturing to the house. "And you'd have to worry about those squatters coming back to welcome themselves into your home whenever you weren't around to stop them. Hell, some of 'em might be bold enough to break in while you're there. You ain't living in a place like that."

It was her turn to roll her eyes. "And I'm not. The next place should be better."

"Better, but probably still a dump. And who the hell's gonna fix your house up for you? I know you ain't getting your hands dirty."

She gaped at him. "I am perfectly capable of –"

"I didn't say you weren't capable," he interrupted. "You might be capable, but that's not the same as _willing_. You'll con someone else into doing the heavy lifting for you. Probably for free."

She pouted at him, but he merely raised his brow expectantly. "Fine. Franky's going to help."

"And…" he prompted.

"And the guys are going to help him," she added. His brow rose again. She sighed. "And maybe you?"

"There it is," he said, snorting in amusement. "Now I know why you wanted me along. You were gonna sweet talk me into helping."

"I said Franky's going to be doing most of it, he was just too busy to come today."

"No he wasn't. He told me he volunteered to come along today, but you only wanted me to help you search." She pouted again, and he chuckled. "I ain't mad at you. Though I'm wondering why you want me here and not Franky."

"Because I trust your opinion." She shrugged.

"And I bet you trust his more."

"Not that much more," she argued. His brow rose skeptically, but she brushed it off as she grabbed her helmet to signal that they get going to the next place. "Maybe I just want to spend some time with you. Is there something wrong with that?"

He chuckled as he moved to climb on his bike. "Nope. Not a damn thing wrong with that."

She knew he understood what she was up to when he glanced back as soon as she was settled behind him. His smile said enough. She leaned her chin on his back as she grinned up at him, and he promptly gave her hand a squeeze before turning forward and starting the bike up.

"How many more dumps we got to look at today?" he asked as he began to pull out into the street.

"Only four more," she chirped happily.

Kid promptly hit the brakes and gaped at her. "You said it was only a couple!" he shouted.

She shrugged. "Six. A couple. There isn't that big a difference."

"There's a huge difference!"

She pouted. "Please."

He cursed under his breath as he looked away. "I'm fucking charging you for this shit," he grumbled, but took off without any further complaint.

She didn't dare say that she was happy to repay him for every second of his time. With her body, of course.

He might run them off the road if she said that now.

* * *

It was nearly dark when Nami finally brought an end to the house hunting. They agreed to get take-out and drive over to Kid's new garage so Nami could take a look at it. The place was empty at the moment, save for a few paint cans and scaffolds. There wasn't much to tour yet, so they sat on the cement floor as they ate their dinner and talked. It was the closest thing to a date Nami had in nearly a year, and she couldn't be happier about it.

Especially since it meant her plans were working. Even her plans for a new home.

"Okay, the first place is out because of the neighborhood, and the second because of the squatters and vandalism," she listed off while picking through her pork dumplings. She had her cell phone perched on her knee where she kept a list and notes for each property. It was easier to carry around on a motorcycle than a notebook.

"Third had termites in the back deck," Kid cut in between bites of his cabbage rolls. "Probably eating into the house, too. Way too much structural work."

"The fourth was okay," she said unenthusiastically. The entire interior would need to be gutted of its shag carpeting and disgusting psychedelic wallpaper, but that was all cosmetic. Easy to handle, and the price wasn't horrible.

"Eh. Had a tiny yard. Didn't you say you wanted to plant a new grove?" Kid pointed out. "Might get one or two trees out there, but not a whole grove."

"True. And it didn't look like healthy soil. I'd be paying a small fortune for the landscaping," she agreed. "I really liked the fifth one."

Kid snorted. "'Cause it already had a pool in the back."

"And plenty of space for a small grove," she added.

"But the master bath didn't have a tub. And no walk-in closet like your wardrobe demands, Princess," he teased with a grin.

"I can install a tub," she argued, sticking her tongue out at him. "And a double vanity."

"You mean _I_ can install the tub and vanity," he said, glowering. "And where the hell's it all going to fit in there? It was cramped with just the shower and a pedestal sink."

"_Franky_ can install it. And he can extend the master bath into the bedroom next door –"

"And lose a whole bedroom," Kid interrupted. "Thought you were worried about resale value? One less bedroom means less profit."

"The larger master bath and closet will make up for it," she argued. "Not to mention it has five bedrooms already, losing one won't amount to that much. And if it does, I can always convert that alcove space off the stairs into another bedroom."

"That's a tiny space meant for an office or some shit like that."

"It can pass as a nursery for a growing family," she huffed, waving it off. "It doesn't matter. I can make the house just as usable for any buyers."

"Tsh, fine, but I still don't want to install a fucking tub up there. It was a pain in the ass getting Killer's into his bathroom when I remodeled," Kid grumbled.

She rolled her eyes. "I said Franky can do it. He just remodeled Robin's bathroom at her new place. He'll have no problem with this one. But that's _if_ I buy it. The last one was nice, too."

"No," Kid bit out sternly. He glared when he caught her pursing her lips to hold back her laughter. "You ain't living across the street from that prick."

"Aww, don't you think Apoo will make a wonderful neighbor? He probably throws the best parties," she said sweetly.

"_No_," he repeated. "You'll never see my face around your house if you move in there."

And that wouldn't work one bit for her, but she couldn't resist teasing him about it. It was a minor miracle that she kept him from getting into a fight when they noticed Apoo get home just as they were leaving. He, of course, thought having Nami as a neighbor was the greatest thing ever, if only because it would drive Kid insane, and nearly corralled Nami into his own home to show her what he did with the layout and yard. He was more than happy to play up the friendly neighbor act while ignoring Kid's snarls and threats.

"Alright, so that one's out, too," she relented.

"So you going to put in an offer on the other one?" he asked.

"I'm going to look over the numbers one more time before I decide, but I think it was a good place. Close to my friends and the school, huge yard…"

"No tub," he grumbled. She smacked his shoulder and he chuckled. "Other than the bathroom, it wasn't bad. Big, too. Knowing your friends, they'll probably end up crashing at your place a lot, so that way you'll have the room."

"And it's bank owned, so it's cheap," she said with a decisive nod.

"That means less room to negotiate," he pointed out.

"For an amateur." She grinned. "It might be an as is sale, but I can still get the price down."

"I don't doubt that," he said, chuckling. "Still think you can get my rate down on this place?"

"Of course," she chirped. "I won't let anyone steal your money… Except for me."

He snorted. "I'm going to have to watch you like a hawk when you do my bookkeeping."

She pretended to pout. "I thought you had faith in me."

"Only in your greed," he quipped with a loud laugh.

Once they were done eating, Kid gave her the short tour of the garage. It would be set up to hold four cars at once, with an extra space for longer projects. His initial plan was to focus on repairs, simple jobs, and eventually branch into custom projects and rebuilds. There was a front office for customers to wait on quick maintenance jobs, a space he planned to use as a break room for the few guys he got along with at school that agreed to work for him, a large storage room for parts and stock, and then another space that would hold his own office. A hall led to a closed in lot where Kid would keep scrap cars he planned to buy for cheap from customers who couldn't afford major repairs, and near the back of the lot was an extra garage where he would handle a few underworld projects off the books.

She applauded that decision. He could make a lot more money off of criminals.

He looked excited as he led her around, eager to get the place up and running. She was glad he took the chance to work at something he obviously loved. He was coasting with the security job he had before, but now he had ambition, he had drive, he had something to take pride in.

"Oh, you busy Monday?" he asked as he locked up the shop when they were done.

"I have to work at Shakky's at four, but I'm free before that. Why?" she asked while slipping her helmet on.

"Got some snotty sales-guy type coming by to give me an estimate on equipment in the morning. Could use someone with better people skills to deal with him so I don't punch him in the face," he explained. "Pretty sure he's going to overbid."

"More than likely," she said. "It'll leave room to come down when other bids are lower, without sacrificing profit. I'll talk to Franky and do some research tomorrow, but I should be able to talk him down to a reasonable price without having to bail you out of jail for assault."

He grinned. "Thanks, Kitten."

"No problem. Anything you need help with, just ask," she said, climbing onto his bike behind him once he was settled.

"How much you plan to charge me for it?" he asked jokingly.

"Hmm, well, if you help with my house, we should be able to work out a deal."

"Pretty sure all that manual labor's gonna add up to cost more than your accounting and negotiating."

"If that's the case, then I'm sure I can figure out something to make it all even out," she teased as he started up his bike. "I might even have a few things in mind already."

He glanced over his shoulder with a cocked brow, but she kept her thoughts to herself and smiled back. He snorted when she didn't give him more. They could talk about that another time.

The ride back to her friends' house took longer than it should have. She could tell that Kid wanted to keep her on his bike as long as he could to make up for all the time she hadn't been riding with him. He took a few wrong turns that she knew were on purpose, and that she didn't bother to correct, just as happy to take their time ending their day together.

She kept her cheek pressed to his back and eyes shut as they rode along. It was a warm night, and Kid's own warmth was a comfort she missed. She was close enough to smell the earthy musk of his body wash mixed with a subtle hint of grease and sweat from spending a warm spring day riding around the city on his bike. She could hear his heart beating beneath his ribs, calm and steady. At a stop light, she pressed closer, rubbing her cheek against him, and she heard Kid hum his approval before his hand found hers to give it a squeeze. The light was long enough for his touch to linger and she smiled as his fingers teased and played with hers. It was all so innocent, yet still it filled her with a thrum of pleasure, and she nearly whispered in his ear that he take them to his house. She held off, unsure if he was ready yet.

When he came to a stop outside Franky's, she felt disappointed that they couldn't take a few more wrong turns somewhere along the way. She reluctantly pulled away and slipped off her borrowed helmet.

"Thanks for today, Kid," she said softly as she leaned over him from behind and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. "You were a lot of help."

He gloated, as she knew he would. He would always love to hear that he was useful.

"Anytime, Kitten," he said, squeezing her arm.

She smiled before surprising him with a quick kiss to his cheek, and pulled away before he could think too much of it. "I'll see you Monday," she said, climbing off the bike to head toward the house.

He grabbed her hand to stop her and spun her back to him. This time he surprised her as he tugged her into a warm kiss that wasn't nearly as long as she would have liked.

"Been wanting to do that all day," he muttered once he pulled back to press his forehead to hers. Her jaw dropped open while Kid gave her _that _smile. His hand played with hers, but he made no move to kiss her again, seemingly content without. "I'm almost there, Nami," he said lowly, his hand squeezing hers. "Just give me a little more time. I won't let you down again."

Her eyes widened. Her heart skipped a beat. He kissed her again. Just a peck and a sigh. And then he gently pushed her toward the house while she remained speechless.

"Get that cute ass of yours inside before I do something stupid," he ordered, turning her enough to give a quick swat to her backside. It was enough to break the spell, and she jumped away with a laugh. "I'll talk to ya later, Kitten."

She was still feeling speechless, so all she could manage was a smile before skipping off toward the house. He waited until she was at the front door, and grinned when she waved at him. He finally pulled away once she was inside with her back pressed to the door, trying to catch her breath and will her heart to stop racing. He was hers. Maybe not completely yet, but he would be.

"Oh, Nami," Luffy said as he came up from the basement to see who had come in. "You're back. Did you find –" He paused, narrowing his eyes on her. "Why are you grinning like an idiot?"

She squeaked and buried her face in her hands to hide her blush. How could she be so excited over a simple kiss? It wasn't like they had made out on the front porch. And he hadn't asked her out on a real date. It was just one kiss. And a promise of more to come soon. _Very_ soon.

She knew Luffy figured out why she was so happy when he gave a surprised shout, and then a laugh, before tackling her in a hug.

"I knew he wouldn't let you down!" he said, snickering as he let her bury her pink face in his shirt. "I knew he would make you happy again."

She laughed. Luffy had been right. It was all working out in the end.

* * *

Kid was happy. Life was good.

He had successfully finished his program and earned his automotive certification. He had his own shop that he would work to see grow and flourish into something he could truly be proud of. It wouldn't be easy, but nothing in life was ever easy for him. It would only make his success that much more rewarding.

He had his friends at his side, both old and new. Killer and the guys at home had been there for him through it all, and now he had a few new guys at work to be there with him, too, as he built the shop up and got his life straight. He was glad to have them all. They were loyal, dedicated. Not a single one of them would ever let him down, he knew that much.

And he had his girl. Well, not really. _Almost_. For a month since she came back, they danced around what they were, lingered in that strange limbo. He found that he didn't mind too much. He had a lot going on with the shop, and she had even more going on between work and her house. Life was hectic, but unlike the last time life got in their way, Kid didn't feel the same strain to his patience. Nami made it clear she wanted him, that she would choose to be with him when time allowed for it. She was making a bigger effort to spend time with him, too, reassuring him that her feelings were genuine.

She wanted to start a new relationship, without the pressure and fight that came with the last, and Kid was finally okay with that. In fact, he had a better understanding of why she insisted on going slow when they first started dating. That had been the time she needed to accept her feelings, without him pressuring her, and this time it was the other way around, except even slower.

They weren't really dating, but they were. She wasn't really his girlfriend, but she was. It was complicated, but strangely simple when Kid really thought about it. All that mattered was that she answered when he called, that she smiled for him the moment she spotted him in the same room, that she snuck him kisses she wasn't supposed to be giving him, and that she was there for him, believing in him, supporting him. She was a friend more than anything else, and he hadn't realized before how important that was to him.

He probably should have listened to her from the start, and allowed himself to be content as just a friend three years ago. But if Nami didn't regret a single thing from the past, then neither should he, except for the one thing he swore would never happen again.

That was something he was more confident about. At the party for her return, when she idly told him about Zoro carrying her to the car, he didn't feel an ounce of jealousy. In the past he would have been strangling that emotion down. But now he knew how serious she was about being with him. He knew she was loyal before, even if he failed to fully trust her. This time she was choosing him on her own terms, and being unabashedly honest about it. A close friend giving her a piggyback ride, likely not the first in their friendship, was no threat.

He wasn't bothered when she fell asleep on the outdoor couch during the party, nestled up against his side until Usopp carried her up to her room. Sure, he wanted her to stay there, but she needed to sleep, and if he took her up, he would climb right into bed with her. He wasn't supposed to do that, so he let her friend handle it without much of a care. Usopp even hesitated a moment, a wary look in his eye that silently asked for Kid's permission to take her, but it passed the moment Kid shrugged his indifference. Once they were out of their limbo, then he could be the one to take her off to bed. He would be free to join her then.

And she picked him to go house hunting with her. She could have had Franky go with her, but she wanted Kid there. And no one else. She trusted his opinion, he knew that, and she wanted time alone with him, something he always craved to have with her in the past. She wanted to spend the day riding on the back of his bike, her arms wrapped firmly around him, right where she belonged. She wanted him there for her, just as he was in the past. She wanted him there as she laid down permanent roots, built a new life that he knew she saw him in.

She was truly looking ahead. Not at his mistakes, nor her own.

He didn't even get too angry whenever he went to Shakky's while she was working. He still wanted to punch a few guys who looked at her too long, but it came from his normal protective instincts for her. Some of those men might be scum who wanted to hurt her, so of course he would watch them closely.

The hardest ordeal he faced those nights was locking down the urge to cart her off to a closet or the bathroom and have his way with her. Especially after seeing her break a prick's hand. The guy absolutely deserved it after grabbing under her skirt, and Kid made sure to catch up with him later to break his other hand, too. But he wanted nothing more than to take her in the back and wipe away the jerk's touch with his own. He doubted Nami would mind, except that she was supposed to be working and making money, but the way she glanced at him afterward told him she knew where his thoughts were, and that she was more than okay with it. Of course he restrained himself. He was supposed to be practicing control with her, after all.

Killer had applauded his progress, but he didn't know that Nami rewarded him with a kiss every time he held back. In fact, Kid had failed to tell Killer about all the stolen pecks they shared that they weren't supposed to. For some reason he decided to keep those as their little secret. At least for the time being.

He'd find out about them soon enough.

His shop had been open for a week. It was chaotic and stressful, but he didn't feel strained by the extra work that came from running a business. He was still working out their systems and figuring out how to manage the shop, but at least he was in charge, could do things the way he wanted to, and his men listened to him. The first few days were slow, as he expected. Then the referrals began to come in. His friends had been passing word around, so he knew customers would show up eventually. Apparently Nami began to work her magic, though, and business steadily began to pour in.

He knew she would be gloating once she got a look at the initial numbers.

They had agreed that she would come in once a week to go over his books, at least in the beginning. She said that once he had steady numbers and they had a solid system in place to keep the accounts organized, she wouldn't need to come in quite as frequently. They still hadn't discussed how he would reimburse her for her time, which he thought strange considering how quick she would normally be to enter those sort of negotiations. Then again, they hadn't discussed how she would reimburse him for his time helping at her new house, either.

They definitely needed to discuss that after he helped rewire the lighting on the back patio. He had stopped by after work when she called him to take a look, and she spent the whole first hour he was there staring at his ass while he stood on a ladder and cursed at the frayed wires of the broken light. He barked at her to at least help by handing him tools. She merely sat back, sipped her glass of wine, and continued to ogle him.

As much as his pride loved the blatant show of attraction, he still snapped at her until she got off her lazy ass and handed him a wire splicer.

She paid him with a kiss that she probably wanted to turn into something else, but then Luffy burst through her front door to interrupt that plan, and Kid went home to take a very cold shower.

Honestly, their relationship limbo was starting to become a pain in the ass, but he was determined to go with the flow and not screw it all up by pushing things forward.

That was his plan. Until she walked into his shop late that Friday afternoon.

He was hard at work beneath an old Impala, oblivious to everything outside of the car above him. He vaguely heard the guys whistling, but ignored it as he looked over the car's rusted exhaust pipe. Even the click of her heels on the cement didn't stir him from his work.

"Your men are pigs, Kid," she said flatly.

Surprised, he jumped and slammed his forehead against the undercarriage of the car. He rolled out from under the car, snarling curses beneath his breath until the words died on his tongue the sight of her. From his position on his back, he got a very clear view up her short white skirt that he had to force his gaze from before he made a fool of himself. Her sleeveless button down blouse didn't help much in that regard, the sheer pink material taunting him with the outline of a white crop-top.

He forced his gaze up to her face. She was frowning with a hand on her hip, and finally what she said registered. He sat up and turned to snarl at his men who were standing around and staring at her. One elbowed another in the side and gestured to her as though encouraging he go talk to her. He was going to have to set some ground rules with guys about Nami.

Namely that she was off limits to everyone but himself.

"Get back to work, assholes," he barked.

While they scrambled to do as he said, he stood up to usher her back to his office, careful not to touch her. She would scream at him if he got oil on her clothes, and those clothes were begging to be torn off. It was better for everyone if he didn't touch her.

"You're early," he grunted at her in the office. "Thought you were moving new furniture into the house today."

"It didn't take as long as we thought it would, so I decided to come in and get an early start on the books. And I brought dinner," she explained, lifting a plastic bag filled with take out containers. He snatched the bag away to see what she brought while she idly went through the receipts and invoices waiting on his desk. "Is this everything?"

He nodded. "All except for today's receipts. We close up in an hour. I'll bring you the rest then." His stomach growled as he smelled the sweet sauce of the chicken wings she brought. "And thanks for dinner."

Nami smiled as she took a seat behind his desk. "We got pizza and wings for dinner after moving all the furniture in. Thought you might be hungry, so I ordered extra for you," she said. "It took a minor miracle keeping those out of Luffy's hands."

He couldn't help himself as he leaned down to peck her cheek. "Thanks. You're the best, Kitten."

"I really am," she said, giggling.

"Full of yourself, too," he teased.

He turned for the door to drop his food in the break room and get back to work, as well as escape the room before he thought to give Nami more than an innocent peck.

"Better not steal anything," he called to her on his way out.

"I'll be perfectly professional, Kid," she swore, waving him off.

While he didn't doubt that, he still made a mental note to double check the safe before he left that night.

* * *

When the last of his guys had left for the night and the shop was locked up, Kid headed back to his office to see how Nami was coming along. He stopped by the break room on his way to grab the dinner she brought. In the office, he found Nami hunched over his laptop, glowering at the screen.

"How's it looking?" he asked, unsure what she might be frowning at.

"Pretty good," she answered, distracted with a receipt she was entering.

"That scowl doesn't look good," he said as he took a seat across from her. He had a few orders to make, so he grabbed a catalog to go through while he ate.

"I'm scowling because my eyes hurt," she said flatly, pulling her reading glasses off to rub her eyes. "As soon as you start seeing solid profit, you need to get a computer system for your invoices. All you guys have atrocious handwriting. And they're all covered with grease stains."

"I'll tell the guys to be neater." He didn't want to waste money on a computer system if he didn't have to. All he needed was the one, that Nami insisted he buy, to use for their accounting.

"Yours are the worst, Kid," she said, glowering at him over the laptop screen.

He shrugged.

"But," Nami continued, "as far as I've been able to decipher these numbers, your first week is looking very good. It's still too early to show a profit, but you're headed in the right direction. Any underworld contacts call about work yet?"

"Not yet. Heat's working on something for me, though. I'll let you know if that comes through."

She nodded. "I've been talking to Franky about setting up a deal with his old crew. You know they're always looking to salvage scrap parts. If you have anything you think they can buy off you, just call Franky. Oh, and I'm trying to convince Law to bring his car here."

Kid glared at her. "I don't want his business."

Nami rolled her eyes. "He's good for the money."

"Don't care. He's an asshole."

"You're an asshole," she pointed out with an exasperated sigh. "Which is why he doesn't want to bring his car here, anyway."

"Good. I'd rig it to explode."

"That's bad for business. And I thought you two were getting along better?"

"We're never getting along. We're just good at hiding our animosity when you're around," he said. "And I have a feeling he ain't gonna bring his car here because you're the one selling it, Kitten. Anyone who knows you well enough, knows you plan to con them out of their money anytime you sell them on something."

"I don't set the prices here, Kid."

"But you handle the receipts, and that means you get a good look at credit card numbers," he said, pointing to the pile of paper on her right. He laughed at her sulky look. "Hey, I don't give a shit if you steal from my customers. Just don't let it lead back to me. That's bad for business, too."

"I wasn't going to steal from your customers," she huffed. "Well, not _all_ of them. Only the criminal ones."

He chuckled. "Right. I forgot that you're an honorable thief. You only steal from fellow thieves."

"From a few cops, too," she added with a smile. "At least the dirty ones."

He shook his head and chuckled as she slipped her glasses back on. The office fell into a comfortable silence as they both worked. Neither of them said a word when she stretched her legs out beneath the desk to brush over his. They continued to work, even as he shifted to bring his legs closer, letting them tangle together. It was simple, sweet. If someone walked in right then, they wouldn't even notice the contact. In the past, that connection would have distracted Kid, but he was still able to focus on his work, all with the subtle reminder that she was there, helping him, supporting him, believing in him.

He was ready. He was more than ready. He wanted her back. Without the limbo. He wanted to be able to say that she was his, and he was hers. Without reserve.

It took Nami another hour to finish her work. Kid had long ago finished his meal, but continued to linger as he browsed through parts they didn't need yet. He didn't plan on leaving until she was done.

"Hey, do you have any plans this weekend?" Nami asked suddenly as she stretched her back.

"The guys wanted to go out tomorrow night to celebrate my first week in business," he answered. "You wanna come?"

Nami slumped forward with a hum. The laptop was shut, her glasses off. Her whole attention was on him as she frowned in thought.

"Maybe," she mused. "Though I was thinking we could do something together."

He snapped his head up from the catalog to stare at her with a bemused look. "Like what?"

She shrugged as she spun a pen on the desk. It was a strangely nervous gesture, one he found quite endearing in that moment.

"I don't know. Maybe go see a movie together? Or have dinner?" She shrugged again as her cheeks turned a subtle pink to match her shirt.

His heart hammered in his chest. "Are you…" He trailed off when he noticed her teeth digging into her lip. She really was nervous about his answer. He slowly grinned. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

She blushed even more. "I might be," she huffed, looking away with pursed lips.

He couldn't help but laugh. Nami was just so adorably nervous and flustered over asking him out, it was all he could do.

"Why are you laughing?" she shrieked. "This isn't funny."

"It is," he said, chuckling. "It's hilarious, actually."

Her reddened cheeks were from a mixture of anger and embarrassment. It was the cutest thing he ever saw.

"How is it funny?" she yelled. "We've practically been dating for the last month. Why is it so amusing that I'd actually ask you out on a date?"

His stomach hurt from laughing so hard, and his grin made his face ache. "I know…" he said through his chuckles, gasping for air. "That's why it's funny you'd get this nervous. You can kiss me just fine, but actually asking me out…" He stopped as he was overcome with laughter again.

She slumped back in her chair with a sulky huff that didn't help his amusement ease any. He tried to calm down when he heard her growl impatiently.

"If you don't want to go out with me, then just say it!" she snapped.

"I never said I didn't I want to." He stifled his chuckles as best he could. This was what he wanted, he couldn't push her back all because he found her momentary shyness to be overwhelmingly cute. "I just didn't expect you to ask me like that. Never took you for the shy type, Kitten." Her cheeks puffed at his teasing and she slumped lower in her chair. Damn, he just wanted to kiss her. "Considering we would have started making out just a few days ago if Luffy hadn't barged into the house, I don't get why you're so nervous about asking me out on a date."

She shrugged. "Kissing is easy and doesn't require much thought. It wasn't serious yet, and we hadn't talked about it meaning anything more. But, if we go out on a date…" She trailed off as she shrugged again.

"We'll officially be together again," he finished for her.

"I don't want to push you if you still don't think you're ready," she said.

He snorted. "And kissing me all the time ain't pushing me?"

She glared. "Hey, you started it by kissing me when you dropped me off at the house that one night. I wasn't going to make any moves on you until I thought you were ready for them."

"Guess you got me there," he relented, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. "So you really want this?"

"Of course I do," she said honestly.

"You ain't gonna regret it?"

"I never regretted a single moment with you, Kid. Maybe the timing after the night we first slept together, but other than that…" She leaned forward with a genuine smile. "I _want_ this, Kid. I know we can have something good, as long as we don't stop trying. Isn't that how you felt when you first asked me out?"

He chuckled. "It certainly is."

"So?" Nami asked, hope shimmering in her eyes. He didn't want to crush that hope. Couldn't even dream of it. He wanted what she wanted, without a doubt in his mind.

Smiling, he gave her a short nod. "Yeah, let's go out this weekend."

He knew he made the right decision when she lit up, undoubtedly happy. He still couldn't believe someone could look at him with so much joy, least of all her. He wouldn't change that for the world, though.

"But what I am supposed to tell the guys about tomorrow?" he mused as she slowly stood from her chair. He watched curiously as she sauntered around the desk, all while his smile grew. "You sure you don't want to come out with all of us and celebrate."

She hummed. "I feel bad stealing you from them, but I think I want you all to myself," she said as she stood in front of him. His brow rose as he trailed his eyes appreciatively over her, and groaned as she gently eased herself down to straddle his lap. "If they have a problem with it, just tell them your _girlfriend_ wanted to treat you to a _special_ celebration."

His heart skipped a beat. He missed being able to call her his girlfriend.

"Special?" His hands grasped her hips to help slide her closer.

"Mmhm, _very_ special," she whispered, leaning in to brush her lips over his ear. Her breath fanned over him, and his jaw twitched as he suppressed a delighted shiver. Her idea of celebrating sounded way better than getting drunk. "In fact," she cooed as she took his hand and slid it over her thigh. He hummed approvingly as she ran his palm over her silky smooth skin until it was beneath her skirt. She pressed her lips to his ear and whispered, "I'm ready to celebrate right now. I even took my panties off for you already."

Just in case he didn't believe her, she guided his hand between her thighs to brush his fingers over her core. Her breath hitched at the touch, and then she let out a sultry moan as he teased between the wet lips. He ceased thinking when she nipped his ear.

Whatever control he had been striving to maintain with her was washed away as he lifted her up and slammed her back onto the desk. Her shriek of surprise was immediately swallowed as his lips claimed hers in a hot, messy kiss born from nearly two years without her touch, her passion, her love. Two years where no one else could come close to satisfying him the way she could. Two years of loneliness he swore he would never experience again.

Nami was his girl again. And he _would_ keep her forever.

* * *

_Two days later_

Killer spent the whole weekend trying to find his missing best friend. When he didn't come home Friday night, he assumed he had gone out with the guys at work to celebrate the end of their first work week. But he never called for a ride home, didn't show up at four in the morning in a taxi, wasn't sleeping off his liquor on the front porch when Killer went to get the newspaper at eight, and he didn't answer his cell when Killer finally called him around noon.

He doubted Kid went home with a girl, he had been so determined to prove that he deserved Nami back that no other woman existed to him. As far as Killer knew, he had been celibate since Nami confessed her desires to get back together with him, and he intended to stay that way until it happened. Still, he called over to Bonney's to see if she knew anything. She laughed hysterically and hung up on him, so he assumed that was a no. He then called the other mechanics, but they said Kid had stayed late to work on some orders, letting them leave early.

They had mentioned that Nami was there, too, and that Kid had been particularly vicious in warning them away from her. Maybe he went home with her?

That was certainly possible, but Kid should have answered his phone. So he called Nami, only to get her voicemail, and then called her friends but they didn't have any clue where Kid was. Robin said Nami texted her that morning, though, and asked that she keep the guys away from the house that weekend. She needed some time to rest.

Maybe she _was_ with Kid?

Killer decided not to worry too much about it, surely they'd come out with everyone Saturday night like planned and he'd get some answers then. But the guys walked into Shakky's that night and found no Kid, no Nami, and a lot of confused shrugs from everyone else.

Killer was starting to worry.

He called the police station first, but Kid hadn't been arrested at all. He called the hospital next, but he hadn't been admitted. He even called Law, but only got a surely "I haven't seen that jerk in days, leave me alone," before being hung up on. He called the morgue, his last hopes, but they hadn't gotten a dead body matching Kid's description, either.

He really hoped Kid was with Nami.

Finally, Sunday night came, and Killer called Kid's cell phone for the sixth time that day. He was beginning to lose hope of ever getting an answer when the line finally connected.

"Kid! Where have you been? We've been worried – "

"I'm busy, you prick! Stop calling me!" Kid hollered, interrupting him. He didn't say anything more as the phone clattered against a hard surface, and Killer just barely ended the call when he clearly heard what had Kid so preoccupied.

He was _definitely_ with Nami.

"So?" Wire asked from the other end of the couch, he and Heat just as eager to find out where their missing friend was.

Killer calmly set his phone down while inside he was still reeling. He hadn't heard Nami sound like that in a long time. It was going to take some getting used to again.

"He got back together with Nami," he announced flatly. "He probably won't be home for a few more days."

Wire snorted. "He has two years to make up for. He probably won't be home for a month."

"Two months," Heat bet. "He hasn't had sex at all for the last year, either."

Killer grudgingly got up from the couch. "I'll pack him a bag."

He also made a mental note to start looking for someone to lease out the basement room. Now that Kid had his girl back, he might not come home at all.

And Killer couldn't be any happier for them.

* * *

_**A/N: **I totally could have written the smut in the office, but it wouldn't have lasted long... and then they would have just started a second round... and a third... It took four times before they left the shop that night, and then yes, they literally spent the whole weekend in bed and completely forgot other people might wonder where they were. Or, at least Kid forgot. Nami was nice enough to give Robin a vague heads-up._

_Only the epilogue left, but see? I told you guys it would be fine in the end. I hope I managed to convey these two forming a genuine friendship, though, over the course of the break-up, because that was the main thing I was trying to do. They needed a really strong platonic bond and a sense of partnership to help ease Kid's issues, and Nami needed to become more open and honest about her feelings. Sure, she was pretty honest throughout most of the relationship, but with her issues in the beginning, Kid really needed to see how strong and genuine her feelings were for him._

_Anyway, next chapter will be short, and then I can finally go back to Amber Curse or Dangerous Escape, don't know which I want to work on next at the moment. I JUST REALLY NEED TO BE DONE WITH THIS PARTICULAR FIC BECAUSE HOLY SHIT IT GOT WAY LONGER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD!_


	44. Chapter 44

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda._

* * *

_Epilogue_

_One Year Later_

Nami was pleased. She couldn't have made a better choice. Well, she might have been happier if she chose to redesign her backyard pool sooner. But redoing the wood floors in the kitchen were more important, even if the view of Kid toiling away under a hot summer sun was far more appealing.

"You could help, you know," he called to her as he carefully set a new stone tile in place.

She hummed around the straw of her iced tea and continued to stare at the way his back flexed and stretched. His skin was glistening with sweat that only made every movement seem that much more sensuous. Especially with the faint trace of the scratches she left on him a few days before.

"Nami," he snapped, dragging her from her appraisal of her boyfriend's body to see him glowering at her. "Seriously, woman. I'm starting to think you're only with me for my body."

She grinned. "Of course I'm not, Kid." His brow rose, and she snickered. "Maybe a little. It's mostly the free labor."

He snorted as he turned back to work. "Well, stop objectifying me for a minute and give me a hand."

"But you're doing such a great job, _dear_," she cooed from her lounge chair on the patio. He visibly flinched at the pet name and cracked the stone tile he was placing. He hated when she used pet names, despite how many he had for her. He said when she used them, she always sounded condescending, which only served to tick him off. "Except for the broken tiles."

"I wouldn't break 'em if you'd cut it out with the names," he hissed under his breath. His temper was thinning faster with the heat. He could probably use a break.

"But _sweetheart_," she said, snickering when he shot her a hard glare. She waved off his ire and raised the forgotten lab book resting in her lap. "I have to finish my grading, Kid. I'll help when I'm done."

"You've spent more time staring at my ass than those notebooks," he grumbled as he stood, brushing dust off his hands and shorts.

"Do you have a problem with me staring at your ass?" she asked innocently.

He snorted. "Not normally. I stare at yours plenty."

"Then you have no room to complain," she said blithely while he headed toward the other lounge chair beside hers.

"I do when you're staring instead of helping," he huffed as he snagged her glass of tea to drink.

Her glare was ignored, so she sighed and turned back to the lab book. "You stare at me when I'm bent over loading clothes in the drier," she reminded. "So you still have no room to complain."

"Tsh, only one time," he grumbled, setting down the glass to pick up a lab book she already finished grading. He said he liked to read her notes and corrections on her lab students' assignments. He always learned something new from them.

She laughed sharply. "One time _this week_."

"You wear my boxers when you do the laundry. How can I not stare?" he argued.

"They fit me like any other pair of shorts."

"But they're my clothes. It's different when you're wearing my clothes."

"Should I get you working out here in my bra and panties and see if it has the same effect on me?" she asked teasingly.

He laughed as he reached over to playfully kick her leg. "Pretty sure you don't want to see that."

"I don't know. You do have a pretty nice ass. You might look good in a pair of my boy-shorts," she said, snickering.

"In that case, save it for the bedroom. You might try to jump me if you get too turned on," he joked back.

She sank back into her chair with a laugh. Kid did the same beside her, and she caught a corner of his grin as she glanced his way.

It was almost hard to believe that only a year had gone by since she got him back. She felt like they had been together for years as they settled into their new relationship, as though the years apart hadn't happened at all. Those years were spent forging a new friendship, growing as individuals, and finding their resolve to see that this time it worked. It was time well spent, no matter how much they both suffered. They were still going strong, after all. Stronger than they had been before.

Kid's possessiveness had calmed. It wasn't completely gone. He wouldn't be Kid without it. But he had matured enough to temper it, to channel those urges onto more productive goals. There were still a few men who found themselves with a broken wrist or jaw, but that was only when she couldn't handle it herself. He also learned how to share her with her friends and family, but the efforts she made to include him in those relationships went a long way for him.

It especially became easier for him to control himself after he moved in with her. They had been back together for a few months when they made that decision. He had already moved over the majority of his clothes, was contributing to a few of the bills, and spent most every night at her place. Killer said he found someone to rent out Kid's room and offered to take over the mortgage so Kid wasn't wasting his money on a place he wasn't living at, and then it was settled – he would officially move in with her. Once he had his weights and punching bag in an extra bedroom, and his tools out in the garage, whatever lingering tension remained in him about getting back together vanished. He had no doubts left after that.

She wasn't letting him go again, and he swore this time he meant to hold onto her forever.

She didn't think they could be any happier.

"Hey," Kid grunted, breaking the easy silence that descended between them.

"Hm?" She glanced up from her grading to see he was staring intently at the notebook in front of him. He had it angled so she could only catch the tick in his jaw, but she swore his face was looking a little pink. He might have been out in the sun too long.

"We should get married," he suggested, his tone a strange mixture of nonchalance and seriousness.

Nami swore she was hallucinating.

"What… What did you just say?" she asked, stuttering as she felt her heart beat wildly in her chest. She had to have misheard him. There was no way he could suggest _that_.

He shifted the notebook he held. His jaw twitched again. "We should get married," he repeated, his voice firm as he carefully spoke the words.

The notebook she was grading slipped from her hands and fell to her lap. Her jaw dropped open. Was she dreaming?

"I'm sorry…" she began, blinking away her shock. "Did I just hear you say… you want to get… m- mar-"

"Married," he snapped, finishing her question when she failed to. He pulled his notebook closer. "I think we should get _married_."

She sat there gaping and stuttering and struggling to grasp for something to say. Maybe _she_ had been out in the sun too long. Sure, things had been going great between them, and they were living together happily, but… _marriage? _That was a big step and she never imagined Kid being the type to settle down like that. Then again, he was the one who wanted them to start living together only a few months into dating the first time around.

Kid sunk down in his chair, grumbling. "If you don't want to, just say so."

His sulky tone snapped her out of her stupor. She fought back a smile.

"It's not that I don't want to, I'm just… _surprised_. I never thought you would bring that subject up," she explained.

Kid shrugged as he continued to hide behind the notebook he held. "Why not? We already live together, got a bank account together, you added me to the deed for this place… I've met your family."

His hands gripped the notebook tighter to show his thoughts on that. While he expected Genzo's hostility and understood the reasons for it, he had _not_ expected Nojiko to be so cold to him. Nami had to explain that they had no secrets. Not a _single one_. He understood in an instant and stepped carefully around her sister until Nojiko stopped trying to murder him with her eyes. She hadn't been very pleased with the state he left her in after they broke up, and even less pleased over the reason for it.

"Hell, you've started handling both our taxes. And don't think I didn't notice you got yourself listed as co-owner of the garage." He finally pulled the notebook back to glare for a second, but then he hid away again. "And ain't that what people are supposed to do when they love each other? Figured it just made sense."

She stopped fighting her smile after the last reason. He didn't pull the notebook away when she stood, merely pulled it closer, even as she gently eased down onto his lap.

"You want to marry me?" she asked sweetly, tugging at the notebook she now knew was there to hide his faint blush.

"Yeah," he grunted as he struggled to remain hidden.

"You know you'll have to wear a suit and tie, right?" She finally yanked the notebook away and tossed it to the patio.

He turned his face away as he scowled. His cheeks were definitely pink. It was adorable.

"I don't have to wear a damn tie," he grumbled. "I'll wear the suit if you want, but not the tie."

"But you'd look so handsome in a tie," she said as she traced her fingers over his chest. She pressed a palm flat over his heart to feel it race, and her smile grew. "And I'm sure you remember there are _other _ways you can use that tie after the ceremony."

He grasped her hips and drew her closer. "Guess ya got a point there. Do we have to have a ceremony, though? They're boring."

"Well, with my friends around, I doubt it'll be that boring."

"True. They'll turn it into a circus," he agreed, then grumbled, "Still corny and stupid."

She rolled her eyes. "But before we can even discuss a wedding, I think you need to get me a ring."

He pursed his lips and fidgeted beneath her. She radiated with delight – he already had one. That was probably his favorite part of the deal. As long as she wore his ring, everyone would know she was off limits. She would be his, truly and completely.

"And ask me properly," she added.

His brows furrowed with his scowl. "I ain't doing some sappy romantic proposal."

"As long as you get down on one knee." She shrugged.

He ground his teeth together and growled, but she knew he would give in to her demands when the time came. She'd make sure it was worth the effort.

"So what carat is the diamond?" she asked excitedly, wrapping her arms around his neck. He glowered at her bright grin. "Gold or platinum band? Did you save two months salary? You didn't buy it off the black market, did you? I don't want to wear some blood diamond. Oh, did you buy something with a matching band? Does it have dia-"

He cut her off with a growl and tugged her down into a hard kiss. She couldn't stop grinning as she eagerly tilted her head to let him deepen the kiss. He pulled back panting to glare at her.

"So you gonna marry me, then?" he asked gruffly.

She laughed as she kissed him again. "Of course I'll marry you," she whispered against his lips. He grinned wide and relaxed beneath her while she gave him another peck. "Now either get back to work on my pool, or take me to bed."

His grin was devilish as he gripped her hair and dragged her into another deep kiss.

He didn't go back to work, and they failed to make it all the way into the house, let alone reach their bed.

It turned out they _could_ be happier.

* * *

_**A/N: **And with this I am officially done with the this fic. Just to let you know, I originally planned on Nami breaking up with Kid, and with them staying in other relationships. But then Kid had to go through positive character development and make the relationship a little healthier (not much, but better), and I just couldn't do that to them, or you guys. So, they get their happy ending together._

_I hope you guys enjoyed reading the fic as much as I enjoyed writing it._


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